
Class / e> / A, 






A HISTORY 



^ ©rand traverse :^egion ^ 

By r>r. M. L. LEj^lCH, 



-PUBLISHED IN THE- 



Grand Traverse Herald, 

TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN, 
1883. 





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jl. h: X s t o i?,"2" 



GRAND TRAVERSE REGION, 

By Dr. M. L. LE^CH, 



WBITTBN FOB THE 



GRAND TRAVERSE HERALD, 

Traverse City, Micliigaii. 

COP'S'EIICS-KCTEID, 1SS3, B^X" TiiOS. T. B-A.TES. 



PREFACE. I miDor importauce, is liigbly probable. \ "ble us to construct a theory of their 

The work of collecting materials for a Should it ever attain to the honor of beiug^'^^'^^^'O"' religion, and civil polity, 

, ,, „ , ,r, , , , 1 , , ,, ,, ., ,,, having a tolerable degree of probability, 

history of the Grand traverse region, i published in book form, the author will „, . ^ , , , •'. 

•^ ' ihis ancient people have been named 

was commenced without any well settled J be glad to avail himself of all possible the Mound-Buiklers, from the numer- 
purpose as to the use to be miide of nids in correcting in that edition the ; ous mounds of earth, some of them of 
them, further than to put them in a faults of this. To this end, friendly i immense magnitude, found in those 
shape convenient for preservation, for | criticism and a communication of lurther P"'''^ "^ ^^^ country they inhabited. 



the benefit of some future historian. As i interesting facts are cordiallv invited. 



the work progressed, the abundance and ' 
richness of the material obtained made 
it evident that a work might be written ] 
of great interest to the present genera | 
tioD. flow far the writer has succeeded 
in the attempt, remains for his readers 
to determine. 

A few simple principles have guided 
the author in the execution of tje work. 
It has not been written in the interest of 
any person, party or clique. To tell the 
truth, the whole truth, and nothing but 
the truth, and to make of the truth an 
interesting narrative, has been his con- 
stant aim. In case of coijflictiug testi- 



M. L. Leach. 

Traverse City, December. 1883. 



CHAPTER I. 



The Dim and Shadowy Past — An An 

cicnt People— What is Known of ! They wor-shiped the snu 



They were an agricultural people, hav- 
ing made considerable advancement in 
the arts of civilization. They manufac- 
tured pottery of clay, and various imple- 
ments, weapons, and ornaments of stone 
and copper. They constructed exten- 
sive earth-works for religious uses. 
They ofTered 



Them — Mounds and Earth-tvorks — 
Ancient Mantifactorics of Stone Ar- 
row hcadu — Pottery— Copper Orna- 
ments — Protabilides in Heyard to 
the Occvpafion of the Orand Trav- 
erse Country ly the Mound- Build 



human sacrifices by fire. They offered 
sacrifices of their most valuable goods, 
on altars made of burned clay, and then 
covered up altar, and ashes, and the 
burned fragments of the offerings, with 
mounds of earth. They laid their hon- 
orable dead in shallow graves, and 
heaped huge mounds of earth above 
them. The mysterious rites of sepul- 



The history of a country differs in some 
points from the history of a people. 

The latter traces a people through all ture were celebrated by the aid of fire, 
their migraticns, and portrays their life and sometimes a human victim was sao- 
in the different countries they have oc- i rificed above the grave.* Their govern- 
mony, of which there have been but a j cupied ; the former confines its invest!- \ ment, whatever its form, was strong 
remarkably small number of instances, | gations to a single country, and treats of enough to control the mass of the peo- 
he has carefully and impartially exam- ''" ""^ different peoples that have at any pie, and hold together large bodies of 

time inhabited it. 

In our inquiry regarding the early oc- 
cupancy of the Grand Traverse country, 
we soon pass beyond the domain of au- 



iued and weighed the evidence, and has 
given the statement of what to him ap- 
peared to be the truth, without fear or fa- 
vor. 

It should be borne in miud that this 
is a local history ; hence it properly con- 



men in the service of the State. They 
built extensive fortifications, in positions 
well chosen for defense, that, in piimi- 
tive methods of warfare, must have been 



tains elaborate descriptions of local , another people. Of that other people 
events and incidents, and reminiscences there is no tradition even, or, at most. 



thentic I'ecord, into the dim and shadowy ' well nigh impregnable. They carried 
realm of conjecture. When the white on an extensive internal commerce, ex- 
man came, he found the Indian here; changing the products of one region for 
but the Indian had been preceded by I those of another. 

Such are some of the facts antiqna- 



of personal adventure, that would be ont 
of place in a history of a state or a na- 
tion. 
That the work is imperfect, can not be • 



but a very vague and uncertain one. 
All we know of them is gleaned from 
scattered and scanty monumental re- 
mains, brought to light by accident or 
the researches of the autiquai-iau. Yet 



denied ; that it contains inaccuracies of these remains are sufiicient to 



/ 



rians have been able to establish iu re- 
gard to the ancient peopl& who, long 
ages ago, had their seat of power in the 
Mississippi valley, and spread their col- 
onies over the country from the AUegba- 
nies to the Rocky mountains, and from 
the great lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. 
1 



A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION 



Tbere is indubitable evidence that 
the Mound-Buikiers wrought the cop- 
per mines of Lake Superior — that the 
work was carried on by large bodies of 
men through a period of hundreds of 
years— but the evidence that they es- 
tablished permanent settUments there 
is wanting. The most reasonable theory 
is that the laborers spent the summer in 
the mines, but retired for the winter to 
a more genial clime. Hence, it be- 
comes an interesting problem to deter- 
mine the northern limit of their perma 
neut abode. 

It is evident that they had populous 
settlements in some of the more fertile 
districts of the southern part of the 



The evidence seems conclusive that 
the Mound-Builders, the most ancient 
iuhabitiiuts of the territory of tlie Unit- 
ed States of whom we have any knowl- 
edge, had extended Iheir scattered fron- 
tier settlements into the Grand Traverse 
country. Here, perhaps, mining expe- 
ditions from the more populous south 
called to make their final preparations 
for the northern summer trip, and here 
some of the returning miners were ac- 
customed to spend the winter. 

That ancient people have long since 
disappeared. Of the reason and manner 
of their disappearance, no record re- 
mains, except, perhaps, a vague and 
shadowy tradition, which seems to im- 



State. Farther north their remains are p|y that they retired toward.s the south, 

before the fierce and savage race that 
succeeded them in the occupancy of the 
country. 

*The writer lias in his possession Itie fragment" 
of a burned human sliull, found in a mound, in 
sueli a situation as to warrant tlie above state- 
ment. Two bodies had bei-n laid in shallow 
jjraves. and a mound partly built above them. On 
a level spot, on the partly built mound, a body 
hart been burned, and then the bed of ashes, with 
thf^ burned bones Ijing upou it. had been covered 
with earth by the completion of the mound. 

M. L. L. 

+ It may be objected that the Indians made and 
used flint nrrow-heads and stoi:e axes, and that 
therefore the flndins of these relies is no evidence 
of the lormer pre ence of the Mound- Builders. 1 
freely admit the possibility that in the casi s men- 
tioned the arrow-heads were made by the Indians, 
but I am fully convinced that at least three-fourths 
ot all the stone implements and ornaments found 
in the United States are the work of the Mound- 
builders. In regard to the pottery of the Grand 
Traverse country, its marking and genera! ap- 
pearance place it with the xjottery of the Mound- 
Builders. As to the copper ornaments and imple- 
m nts, the fact is weil established that the In- 
dians knew nothing of the copper mines, tnd did 
not put copper to any practical nse till the white 
men taught them how. M. L. L. 



found less frequently, and are of a less 
imposing character. Characteristic esirth 
works, (whether built for defense or for 
civil or religious purposes is uhcertain,) 
are found in Ogemaw county. Mounds 
are known to exist in Manistee county. 
That outlying colonies extended north 
to the Grand Traverse country, scarcely 
admits of a doubt. Around Boaidman 
Lake, near Traverse City, several small 
mounds formerly existed, some of which 
have been destroyed in the search for 
relics. One small burial mound has 
been opened within the village limits. 

The sites of several ancient manufac- 
tories of stone arrow-heads have been 
found. In excavating for a stieet, on 
the bank of Boardmau Kiver, in Trav- 
erse City, such a location was discovered, 
marked by the presence of great num- 
bers of chips of flint, or hornstone, the 
refuse of the material used for mak- 
ing the arrow-heads. At Charlevoix, 
the soil for a foot or more in depth, on 
the top of the bluff, north of the mouth 
of the river, contains great numbers of 
these flint chips, together with some un- 
finished arrow-heads that were spoiled 
in making and thrown away. Another 
well marked site of an arrow-head man- 
ufiictory, is on the farm of John Miller, 
on the north shore. of Pine Lake, about 
a mile from the village of Boyne City.t 

Fragments of ancient pottery, hav- 
ing the markings common to the pottery 
attributed to the Mound- Builders, is 
found at the locality last mentioned, and 
also within the village limits of Boyne 
City, as well as sparingly in other places. 
At Charlevoix, in excavating a cellar, 
an ancient grave was opened, in which 
was found a great number of beautifully 
finished flint arrow-heads, and a quanti- 
ty of copper beads. In the same locali- 
ty, some boys amusing themselves by 
running up and down the steep bank of 
the " Old Kiver," discovered a piece of 
copper protruding from the gravelly 
bank. An examination resulted in the 
finding of two knives and two bodkins, 
or piercing instruments, all of copper. 



CHAPTEB II. 

Migrations of (he Ottawas — First tneet- 
ing of the Ottawas and Chippcwas 
— The Three Brothers— The Under- 
ground Indians — The Mush-quah 
(as — An Unpardonable Insult — A 
Iribe Blotted Out. 
When northern Michigan first became 
known to the white man, the Ottawas, a 
tribe of the Algonquin family, occupied 
the region now known as the Grand 
Traverse country. Their origin as a 
tribe, is veiled in the obscurity of the 
past. Tradition says that they came 
from the eaet, advancing up the Ottawa 
River, in Canada, and then westward by 
way of the north shore of Lake Hui-on 
and the Manitoulin Islands. The reason 
for the migration is not known. There 
may have been no special reason beyond 
the common exipeucies of savage life, 
which necessitate removal, or they may 
have been influenced by the proximity 
of their fierce and powerful neighbors, 
the Iroquois, with whom they were al- 
« ' . 



wa.>sat war. The advance westward was 
slow and gradual, heibg interrupted by 
pauses of varying dorution. At the 
gieat Manitiiuliu Island the tribe for a 
lung time made their home. 

At the Sault St. Marie they flr.st met 
the Chippewas, who luhahited the coun- 
try bordering on Lake Superior. The 
two tribes were mutually surprised to 
find that, though previiuisly each hud 
Lad no knowledge iif the existence of the 
other, their languages were so nearly 
alike that they could converse intelligi- 
bly. A council was held, the subject 
was d!scu>*eed and the history of e^ch 
tribe rehearsed, but the tradition does 
not tell us that '.he mystery of the like 
ness of tlie languages and the probable 
consanguinity of the trines was solved. 

The Ottawas were brave and warlike. 
As they advanced we.stward, they fought 
and vanquished those who opposed their 
progress ; with those tliat were friendly 
they smoked the pipe of peace. Friend- 
ly intercourse with the Chippewas and 
Pottawattamies resulted in the formation 
of a sort of loose confederacy of the three 
tribes, who styled themselves "The 
Three Brothers." During tlie period of 
the earlier iutercours'e < f the whites with 
the Indians ot the Northwest, these 
tribes seem to have held undisputed 
possession of nearly the whole of the 
Lower Peninsula. 

The Ottawas remained for some time 
establis-hed in the vicinity of the Straits, 
before they extended their settlements 
along the shore of Lake Michigan. Dur- 
ing this period, though they were at 
peace with their immediate neighbors, 
they gratified their thirst for battle by 
frequent warlike expeditions against dis- 
tant tribes. They often passed south 
around the head of Lake Michigan, and 
westward beyond the Mississippi, some- 
times, it is said, extending their forays 
almost to the foot of the Rocky Moun 
tains. They brought home many west- 
ern prisoners. Some of these were 
called by the Ottawas Under-ground Ind- 
ians, on account of their custom of dig- 
ging pits in the ground for dwellings. 
The Under ground Indians were brave 
and intelligent, and made excellent coun- 
sellors. The captors often intermarried 
with their captives, and the descendents 
of the latter, in many cases, were closely 
related to the royal families of the Otta- 
was. Some of the most noted Ottawa 
chiefs of later times were descended from 
the Uuder-grouud Indians. 

At that time a portion of the present 
county of Emnict was the home of a 
small tribe, called the Mush quah-ta.s.* 
Their principal village was situated in a 
beautiful valley, in the northeast part of 
the township now called Friendship. 
The name of the tribe signifies -'The 



A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



3 



People Wbo Roam Over tUe Prairus." 
They were of Alyouijuiu stock, us is 
proved by tlie fact tliat llit-ir lau^'iiage 
reseiutiled the Ottawa, while tbe tiihal 
name aud tbeir reooguizud affiuity to the 
Uuder giouud ludinus seem to [joint to 
a westeru origiu. Tbe Mulisiiuahtas 
were intelligent, pcaoeahle, aud iudus 
trioiis, ciiltivaliug large tit Ids of eoru, 
and seldom going ou tbe warpath. They 
had beeu ou f i ieudly terms with tbe 
Ottawas siuce the ai rival of the latter iu 
tbe couutry, though it is probable that 
Home degree of concealed ill-will exitled 
on both sides. It was a sad day for the 
iVushquab-tas, when, by their own fool- 
ish act, these friendly relations were dis 
turbed. 

There was a small Tillage of tbeMusli- 
qiiah-tas ou the lake shoie, at what is 
now called Seven Mile Point. A small 
party of Ottawas, returning iu their ca- 
noes from an expedition against tbe Sacs, 
having lost some of their comrades, as 
they came near the village commeuced 
wailiug for the dead, acording to the 
ludian custom. The Musb-quah-tas, 
hearing the distant sounds ot gritf, in 
stead of preparing to join in the mourn- 
ing, as would have been proper, rashly 
determined to express in an emphatic 
manner tbeir disapproval of the maraud 
ing expe<litious of their neighbors aud 
their contempt for tboee who engaged 
iu them. Accordingly as the canoes 
touched tbe beach, their occupants were 
pelted, by the young men and boys of 
tile village, with balls of ashes wrapped 
up in forest leaves. The Ottawas retired, 
sullen aud l)uruing with the spirit of re- 
venge, aud soon reported the occurrence ^ 
to their own people. To the proud Ot 
twas, the insult was such as could ouly 
be wiped out with blood. A joint conn- | 
cil of the Ottawas and Chippewas was 
hel<l, in which it was determined, if poa- i 
sible, to annihilate the Mush-qiiabtas. 

Liviug in the principal village of the 1 
Mush-qiiirti tas, was au old man aud his ' 
two married sons. Whether the old man, 
hearing of theafifair at Seven Mile Point, i 
wbrttwdly surmi.sed that the insulted Ot- I 
tuwas would seek a bloody revenge, or, 
as tlie tradition seems to imply, was im , 
pressed with a true prophetic preseuti- | 
meut of coming evil, he faithfully warned 
tbe people that their village would soon ' 
be overwhelmed Ky enemies, and earnest- 
ly couuselted retirement to a place of' 
safety. Finding his counsel disregard- 
ed, he, with bis sons and their families, , 
removed to tbe shore of Little Traverse 
Bay, fixing bis tem))orary abode uear tbe 
pre."eut site of Harbor Springs. 

It may have beeu that a calm sum- 
mer's night had nearly pa-ssed away. 
The first faint glimmering of light in 
the east, heralds the approach of morn. 



The village of tbe Mush qua- tas is still 
wrapt in slumber. The .sleeping moth- 
er geutly cla-ips her liaby to her breast, 
uncon.'^cious of apuroacbiug danger. 
The maiden dreams of her lover; the 
young man of gkrious feats of the chase 
or of war. The old brave lives over 
again the experiences of the youth or 
dreams of the happy liuutiug gronud to 
which he is ha8t«ning. Dark forms, 
crouching in the nhadows, are stealthily 
approaching — on this side a long line of 
Ottawa braves, ou that their friends aud 
allies, the Chippewas. Tbe lines olo.se 
round the dooomed village. Some of 
the crouching figures are alrepdy at the 
very doors. Scf noiseless aud stealthy 
has been the approach that not even the 
watchful dogs have beeu alarmed. Sud- 
denly there bursts upon the night air a 
sound to make the blood curdle — a deaf- 
ening chorus of demouiac yells, as if ut- 
tered iu concert by a legion of frantic 
furies Full well the startled Mush- 
quah-tas know the fearful import of that 
sound, tbe warhoop of their enemies. 
Full well they know there is no avoiding 
the death struggle. The old brave reach- 
es for his war club, and the young man 
strings his bow, but their assailants are 
quick and powerful, aud the stone hatch- 
ets are wielded with terrible eS'ect. 
Crushed and maugled, they go down, 
slain but not conquert d. The maiden 
covers her face with her garment, and 
quietly bows her head to the fatal blow. 
The mother loosens her clasp of her 
frightened infant, seizes the nearest 
weapon, and, with the tierceuess of a ti- 
gress at bay, springs upon her foes. 
Her blows tell, but fierceness can not 
long avail against strength and numbers. 
She falls mortally wounded. Her dying 
eyes are turned lovingly upon her child. 
A brawny warrior seizes it by the feet, 
whirls it high in air, dashes it with 
crushing force upon the earth, and 
flings its bleeding and lifeless body up- 
on its mother's bosom. The surprised 
Mush- quab tas, taken at a disadvantage, 
make a brave fight, but victory does not 
long waver in the balance. As the gun 
rises npou tbe scene, all tbe inmates 
save one of that doomed village lie stark 
and bleeding on the ground, or are con- 
suming in the rapidly burning wigwams. 
The revenge of the insulted Ottawas is 
complete. 

This battle, says the Ottawa tradition, 
was one of the most terrible ever fought 
in this region. Ouly a young mau es- 
caped, who carried the news of the dis- 
aster to tbe three families at Little 
Traverse Bay. Some of the Musb-quah- 
tas liviug iu the small outlying villages 
escaped. The remnant of the tribe re- 
moved toward the south, and established 
themselves near the St. Josep'n Biver, 



where for a time they enjoyed a degree 
of prosperity. Bat they were not safe. 
After intercourse bad beeu opened be- 
tween the French aud the Ottawas, and 
the latter had been supplied with guus 
and axes by the French traders, it oc- 
curred to them that these implements 
would be effective in battle. Anxious 
to put them to the test, they re.Sidved to 
try their effectiveness on their old en- 
emies, the Mush-quali-tas, who as yet 
were una'-quainted with firearms. Ac- 
cordingly an expedition was fitted out, 
destined for the St. Joseph, As tbe Ot- 
tawas approached the vUlage of their 
enemies, each mau carrying a gun, the 
Mush- quab- tas mistook the weapons for 
clubs, aud came out with their bows and 
arrows, auticipating an easy victory. 
But they were soon undeceived, and 
suffered a second crushing defeat, from 
1 the effects of which they never recov- 
i ered. The tribal organization was dia- 
I Solved, and the few Musb-quah-tas re- 
J mainiug alive were scattered among the 
I neighboring tribes, t 
' After the destruction of the principal 
village of the Musb-quah-tas and the re- 
moval of the remnant of the tribe to the 
St. Joseph, the Ottawas gradually ex- 
tended their settlements towards the 
south, along the shore of Lake Michi- 
gan. 

In the forest were plenty of beaver, 
marten, aud otter, but not many deer. 
At the approach of winter, they general- 
ly went south to hunt, returning in the 
spring. The fish in the lakes, during 
the proper season, furnished an abund- 
ant supply of food. They were caught 
in gill nets made of twine manufactured 
from the inner bark of the slippery elm 
( Ulmus fidva). The manufacture of the 
twine was a part of the work of the 
women. The bark was macerated in the 
lye of wood ashes, to remove the muci- 
lage, beaten to separate tbe fibers, and 
spuu by hand. It was the work of the 
women, also, to dress the game, cure the 
skins, cultivate their limited cornfields, 
pound the coru iu wooden mortars and 
prepare the hominy, gather the fuel, and 
perform the general drudgery of the 
household. The men, when not en- 
gaged in fishing or the chase, or in for- 
ays into the homes of distant tribes, 
(for all distant tribes were considered 
lawful plunder,) reclined in listless idle- 
ness in the shelter of their bark wig- 
wams, or engaged iu the athletic sports 
common among the Algonquiu people. 

We see in the Ottawas what may be 
called a fair average example of Indian 
chai-acter In common with others, they 
were brave, suspicious, treacherous, 
generous as friends aud cruel aud im- 
placable as enemies. Marquette says 
that they were addicted beyond all other 



A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



tribes to t'ouluess, incactatioDS, aud sac 
rifices to evil spirits, but the estimates of 
luJiau character of all the earlj Jesuit 
missionaries should be takeu with maoy 
graiuH of alluwaDce, 

As a tribe the Ottawas were never 
strong iu numbers. Their own traciitiou 
says they were more numerous at the 
time of Pontiac's war thau ever before, 
and that that period was the most glori- 
ous of their existence : yet historical rec- 
ords seem to show that they could not 
bring more than a few hundred warriors 
into the tield. 



•This uame should be accented on the Liet eyl- 
table, and the a pronounced with the long sound, 
as in late. M. L. L. 

tThe version of this affair giveu by Judge 
Hatch, in his historical address, differs in some 
particulars Irom the foregoing. 1 have told the 
story as it has been to'd to nie by ptrsons of Ind- 
ian descent, who are thoroughly fami.iar with ihe 
traditions of the Oltav\ as. M. L. L. 



CHAPTER III. 
Jesuit Missionaries — Principal Mis- 
sv.ns — Point St. Ignace — Father 
Marquette — First White ^fen in the 
Qrand Traveree Coiinfrij — L'Arbre 
Croche — Schemes of Ponlinte — Mas- 
sacre at Mackinac — Father Jonois — 
The English Prisoners Carried to 
L'Arbre Croche — 2'he Release. 
When, about the year 1650, the Hu 
ron settlements at the southeastern ex- 
tremity of the Georgian Bay of Lake 
Huron were broken up by the victorious 
Iroquois, aud the people scattered in 
various directions, a remnant, known as 
the Tobacco Nation, migrated towards 
the northwest, and fixed their abode on 
the Island of Mackinac. There they 
were joined by a band of Ottawas, from 
the Ihle des Allumettes of the Ottawa 
River, the ancient home of the Ottawa 
nation, and, it is said, by some Ottawas 
and other Algouquius from the western 
shore of Lake Huron. After remaining 
several years at Mackinac, and finding 
themselves still harassed by their ene- 
mies, they moved again westward, and 
took possession of the islands at the en- 
trance of Green Bay. From thence they 
migrated southward and westward, com- 
ing in contact with the Illiuois, and af- 
terward, on the banks of the Mississippi, ' 
with the Sioux. Quarreling with the 
Sioux and being .driven from their 
country, they retreated to Point St. Es- 
prit, near the Islands of the Twelve 
Apostles, in the southwestern part of 
Lake Superior. 

The Jesuit missionaries, who bad done 
some of their most successful work 
among the Hurons, followed the fiyiog 
remnants of their flock into the depths 
of the northwestern wilderness. Two 
principal missions were established, one 
named St Esprit, at the point of that 



name, on Lake Superior, the other at i The Grand Traverse country came 
Sault St. Marie. About 1760, a third ' properly within the territory over which 
mission was founded at Green Bay. ! the missiou at St. Iguace essayed to 

The Missiou at St. Esprit was of short je.stabli.sh politico cxlesia-tical control, 
duration. About 1671, the Siuux com- For two years after the e.stablishment of 
menced open hostilities upon the Hurons the mission, Marquette was its auimat 
aud Ottawas, and so terrified them that i"g spirit. Popular belief credits him 
they abandoned their settlement and **'it'i haviug preached the gospel to the 
fled. Marquette, who was iu charge of Ottawas along the e,isti;ru shore of Luke 
the mifsiou, followed his panic-stricken Micliigan, but is not sustained liy the 
flock. They coasted Lake Superior, record. There is no evidence that he 
passed the mission at the Sault, and de- «*»^f visited the beautiful wildarness 
scended the St Mary's river. The Hu- country bordering on Grand Traverse 
rons stopped in the viciuify of Macki- ""^l Little Traverse bays, or that he even 
nac, fixing their abode ou Point St. Ig- coasted along the shore. It is probable 
nace. The Ottawas continued on to the '■^1''^ his arduous duties at the missiou 
Great Manitouliu Island. The Hurons l«*'t "i^ time for extended journeys, aud 
were afterwards joined at St. Ignace by that he found ample opportunity for the 
bauds of Ottawas from those occupying \ fullest exercise of his persua.sive powers 
the country iu the vicinity of the Straits. ' on thM residents and visitors of St. Ig- 
A new mission was now establi-,hed at uaca. 

St. Ignace, and placed in charge of Mai-- ; With Marquette it had long been a 
quette. : cherished project to visit the great riv- 

The missions were centers from which ' er of the west, the Mississippi, wouder- 
radiated influences that, in a wonderful ful accounts of which he had received, 
degree, aiieoted the lives and fortunes ' while at St. Esprit, from the Illiuois aud 
of the Indians. Each was iu reality a the Sioux, who visited him tiieie. 
sort of triple establishment, consisting i When, alter two years' residence at St. 
of the miision proper, under the con j Ignace, he was permitted to set out on 
trol and management of the zealous, de- ] his tour of di-covery, in company with 
termined, and wi'y Jesuits, a military j Joliet, he passed westward to Green 
post, kept by an ofiicerand a few French Bay, and then to the Mississippi by way 
soldiers, and a straggling village, iuhab- i of the Fox aud Wisconsin rivers. Re- 
ited by a motley company — traders, ad- turning, he passed up the Illinois aud 
venturers, and voyageurs — Frenchmen, ' Des Pluines rivers, crossed the porlage 
Indians, and half-breeds. Unlike the : to the Chicago, aud from the mouth of 
English, the French colonists readily , that stream coasted along the western 
adapted themselves to the mauuers aud | shore of the lake to Green Bay. After 
customs of the Indians. A few French- J spending the winter aud summer there, 
nieu brought their wives to the western , he set out ou a visit to the Illinois, tiik-' 
wilderness, but no disgrace attached to ing the route of the western shore of the 
the marrying oi an ludiau woman, and ; lake and the portage to the Des Plaines. 
iu many localities families of mixed Ou uis return, in the spring of 1675, he 
blood became the rule, rather than, as iu ] started to coa.tt for the fiist time aloug 
the English border settlements, the ex- i the eastern shore of the lake. A disease 



ceptiou to the rule. 

The salvation of souls, the aggran- 



from which he had long been a sufi'ttrer, 
assumed increased violence, aud it soon 



dizement of the Society of Jesus, and i became evident that he could not long 
the glory of France were the objects | survive. At the mouth of j little river, 
aimed at by the leading spirits of the : supposed to be somewhere north of the 
mi.'^&iou, to which the greed of gain, i stream that bears his uame, he peaceful- 
manifested in much sharp practice in ly Passed away, and was buried by his 
trade, was scarcely subordinated. So faithful attendauts. Pierre aud Jacques, 
cleverly was the intercourse with the In- who then pursued their lonely journey 
dians planned and executed, through a | to St. Iguace. A year aftervv.irjs. a 
long series of years, that the northwest- ' party of Ottawas returning from their 
eru tribes became the firm friends and ' annual winter bunt, opened the grave, 
allies of France. During the war be- | washed aud dried the bones, enclosed 
tneen France aud England, ending with i tlie"^ i" ■^ box of birch bark, and carried 
the surrender of Canada to the English them to St. Iguace, where they were re- 
in 1760, commonly called in this coun- i ceived with solemn ceremony, aud bu- 
try the French aud Indian war, though ! ried beneath the floor of the little chap- 
living far distant from the priucipal j el of the mission. 

theater of action, they rendered valuable i It is possible that some devoted aud 
service to the French. It is said that ; adventurous missionary, burning with a 
even ou the farthest shores of Lake Su- ! desire to promote the spritual welfare of 
perior, the wigwams of Indian braves the Ottawas of the Grand Traverse coun- 
were garnished with English scalps, try, had visited them in their own vd- 



A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



lages, or that sume trailer, beat od 
schemes of profit, bad coasted along its 
western border, or even penetrated the 
interior, previous to the death of Mar- 
quette, but, if BO, there is no record of 
it. As far as we kuow, Pierre aud Jac- 
ques, lonely and sorrowful, returuiag in 
their canoe to St. Tguatv, were tho first 
white men to look upon the placid wa- 
ters of the two beautiful bajrs, one of 
which gives its name to the country. 
The next was La Salle's lieutenaut, Hen- 
ri de Tonty, who, with a party of men, 
passed southward along the shore, late 
in the autumn of 1679, aud, after great 
hardship and suffering, joined his com- 
mander at St. Joseph. 

Since the death of Marquette, nearly 
a century had rolled away, when the 
stirring events of Poutiac's war furnish- 
ed material for an iuterestiug chapter of 
the history of what was then the north- 
western wilderness. Some of those 
events fall properly within the scope of 
the present narrative. 

In the Grand Traverse country and 
the region adjacent, some important 
changes had taken place. A military 
post had been established at Mackinaw, 
not on the island of that name, but on 
the south side of the Straits, at the 
f lace which, since the military occupa- 
tion of the itiland, lias been known as 
Old Mackinaw. Aronud the fort had 
grown up A little French village. It is 
said there were thirty families living 
within the palisade, and as many more 
in the immediate vicinity. The Hurons 
had left St. Ignoce, and settled at De 
troit and Sandusky, where they had 
taken the name of Wyandots. The mis- 
sion had l>een transferred from St. Ig- 
uace to L'Arbre Croche, (The Crooked 
Tree,) south of the Straits. L'Aibre 
Creche seems to have been used l>y the 
French as a general name for the Ottawa 
settlements along the shore of Lake 
Michigan, in the western part of what 
now constitutes the county of Enamel. 
The village of L'Arbre Croche proper, 
so named from a ctooked jiine tree, a 
conspicuous and convenient landmark 
for the vojageurs coasting in tbeir canoes 
along the shore, was on the site of Mid- 
dle Village of the present day. Anoth- 
er landmark, conspicuous to the hardy 
voyageurs of those days, was a huge 
cross, of cedar timber, standing on the 
brow of the blufi", at what is now, from 
the circumstance, called Cross Village. 
Whether it was erected by Father 
Jonois, or some one who preceded him, 
is not known. By whomsoever erected, 
it has stood there till the present day, 
being repaired or renewed by the will- 
ing hands of the Catholic Ottawa*, 
when natural decay made repair or re- 
newal necessary. 



The Ottawas of L'Arbre Creche, un- 
der their head chief, Ne-saw-kee, could 
muster two hundred and fifty warriors. 
.Many of them were nominal Catholics. 
Profiting by the instruction of the mis- 
sion.irie.M, they had made some advance- 
ment in civilization, and cultivated the 
ground to a greater extent than former- 
ly. * 

South of L'Arbre Croche, in the west- 
ern part of the Michigan peninsula, 
there were other settlements of Otta- 
was, and there was a strong band in the 
vicinity of Detroit, under the immediate 
chieftianship of the renowned Pontiac. 

The principal village of tho Chippe- 
was iu the northern part of the penin- 
sula, was on Mackinac island. The vil- 
lage contained a hundred warriors. 
There was another smaller village at 
Thunder Bay, where dwelt their chief, 
Miuavavana. There were also numer- 
ous settlements of the Chippewas in the 
Saginaw valley and on Grand River. 



A part of the Wyandots, as we have 
already seen, were living at Detroit, 
aud the Pottawattamies occupied the 
southwestern portion of the peninsula. 
Theoretically, the peninsula, or, at 
least, the northern part of it, belonged 
to the Ottawas and Chippewas, the for- 
mer claiming the western and the latter 
the eastern portion, tha boundary be- 
tween them being an imaginary line 
drawn due south from the fori; at Mack- 



At the close of the French and Indian 
war, in accordance with the terms of 
capitulation agreed to by the French at 
Montreal, all the military posts of the 
northwestern wilderness pas.sed into the 
hands of the English. The Indians 
throughout the region were the enemies 
of tha English and the firm friends of 
the French. It was with ill concealed 
displeasure that they saw the Eugli^h 
come among th.^ra. The haughty and 
sometimes brutal treatment received 
from the latter, so different from the 
easy familiarity and kindness of the 
French, instead of tending to allay tho 
irritation, had only the effect of increas- 
ing it The first English traders at 
Mackinaw, who came after the removal 
of the French garrison and before the 
English troops arrived, ventured there 
nt their peril. They succeeded in propi- 
tiating the Chippewas, but the Otta- 
was of L'Arbre Croche, a strong body 
of whom were at Mackinaw, weie bent 
on mischief. The traders saved their 
goods, and perhaps their lives, only by 
arming their followers, barricading 
themselves in a house, and holding the 
Ottawas at bay, till the arrival of the 
troops assured some degree of security. 
Poatiac, an Ottawa by birth or adop- 



tion, having won distinction at the head 
of a numerous body of his braves at 
the memorable battle of the Mononga- 
hela, contributing not a little to the de- 
feat of Braddock's army, now smarting 
under wrongs both fancied and real, and 
foreseeing the probable ruin of his peo- 
ple before the increasing strergth of the 
English, conceived the bold plan of 
cutting off all the frontier military posts, 
almost at a single blow. So well were 
the arrangements of the wily chieflaia 
carried out that, in a short time, with 
the exception of the garrison at Detroit, 
not a British soldier remained in the re- 
gion of the great lakes. 

The fall of Mackinaw, next to Detroit 
the most important post in the western 
country, has been a theme of thrilling 
interest both to the historian and the 
writer of romance. la the events 
prouped around the tragic fate of the 
garrison, the people of the region the 
history of which we are endeavoring to 
trace bore a conspicuous part 

When, towards the end of May, 1763, 
the Chippewas of Mackinaw heard that 
Pontiac had already struck Detroit, 
they at once resolved on the immediate 
destruction of the English at the fort. 
Their number had recently been largely 
increased by the arrival of several bands 
from other localities. Though confed- 
erate with the Ottawas ot L'Arbre 
Croche, they determined to proceed in- 
dependently of the latter, securing all 
the plunder and glory to themselves. 

It was the fourth of June, the birth- 
day of King George. The Chippewas 
came to the fort, inviting the officers 
and men to come out and witness a game 
of baggattaway, their favorite ball-play, 
which had been arranged between them 
aud the Sacs, several bands of whom, 
from the Wisconsin River, were encamp- 
ed in the vicinity. The unsuspecting 
commander allowed the gates to be 
thrown wide open, and some of the sol- 
diers went out to watch the game. The 
Indian women collected near the en- 
trance, each with a weapon concealed 
under her blanket. When the excite- 
ment of the game had apparently reach- 
ed its height, the ball received a blow 
that sent it over the palisade, into the 
area of the fort. It seemed an accident, 
but was really a well executed part of 
the plau of attack. In an instant there 
was a rush of players through the gate- 
way, as if to recover the ball, but, as 
they passed the women, each snatched a 
weapon, and fell upon the nearest un- 
suspecting and defenseless Englishman. 
The bloody work was quickly complet- 
ed, and a general cry was raised of "All 
is finished." There were at the fort 
thirty- four officers and soldiers, consti- 
tuting the garrison, and four tradera 



A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



Of these, one officer, fifteen soldiers, 
and one trader were killed. The others 
were made prisoners. Of the prisoners, 
five soldiers were soon afterwards killed 
b.y an infuriated brave ^^ho had not 
been present at the assault, and took 
this method of expressing his approval 
of what had been done, and of his hatred 
of the English. 

It is uncertain what would have been 
the fate of the remaiuing prisoners, had 
there been no check to the doings of 
the Cbippewas. Probably most of them 
would have met death bj' torture. Their 
lives had not been spared from mo- 
tives of humanity or clemency. The 
French had looked coolly on, neither 
helping the Indians nor offering protec- 
tion to the English. The latter, how- 
ever, found a friend in Father Jonois, 
the Catholic missionary at L'Arbre 
Croche. But by far the most ef- 
fectual aid came from the incensed Otta- 
was. Confederates of the Cliippewas, 
it was their right to be consulted in 
matters of such moment as the destruc- 
of the English, or, at least, to be invited 
to join in the execution of the project. 
Begarding themselves as slighted and 
wronged, if not insulted, they resolved 
to revenge themselves by taking the con- 
trol of matters into their own hands. 



keep the greater number. The Olta- 
was soon after returned to L'Arbre 
Croche, taking with them Capt. Eth- 
erington, Lieut. Leslie, and eleven men. 
They were disarmed, but, probably 
through the influence of Father Jonois, 
treated kindly. Father Jonois per- 
formed a journey to Detroit in their be- 
half, bearing a request to Major Glad- 
wyn for assistance, but that oliioer, be- 
leagftred by a horde ef savages, could 
do nothing. 

Iq the mean time, Capt. Etherington, 
had found means to communicate with 
Lieut. Gore)l, commanding the little 
garrison al Green Bay, requesting him 
to come with his command immediately 
to L'Arbre Croche. Gorell had the for- 
tune to secure the good will of the Me- 
nomouies, ninety of whom volunteered 
for an escort. As the fleet of canoes on 
the way approached the Isles du Cas- 
tor, warning was received that the 
Chippewas were lying in wait to inter- 
cept them. Imoiediately the Menom- 
I onies raised the \ygt song, and stripped 
I themselves for battle. The alarm, how- 
ever, proved to be false. When the 
! party reached L'Arbre Croche, they 
1 were received with honor, and present- 
ed the pipe of peace. After a series of 



the thirteenth of August. 



councils, to which the Chippewa chiefs 
A party of seven Chippewas, with four were invited, the latter reluctantly con- 
prisoners, started in a canoe for the ! sented not to obstruct the passage of 
Isles du Castor, (Beaver Islands.) j the soldiers to Montreal. Accordingly, 
When about eighteen miles on their { on the eighteenth of July, the English, 
way, an Ottawa came out of the woods escorted by a fleet of Indian canoes, 
and accosted them, inquiring the news, ' left L'Arbre Croche, and, going by way 
and asking who were their prisoners, of the Ottawa Kiver, reached Montreal 
As the conversation continued, the ca- 
noe came near the shore, where the 
water was shallow, when a loud yell was 
heard, and a hundred Ottawas, rising 
from among the trees and bushes, rush- 
ed into the water, and seized the canoe 
and prisoners. The astonished Chippe- 
was remonstrated in vain. The four 
Englishmen were led in safety to the 
shore. Tne Ottawas informed them 
that their captors were taking them to 
the Isles du Castor merely to kill and 
eat them, which was probably not far 
from the truth. The four prisoners 
soon found themselves afloat in an Otta- 
wa canoe, and on their way back to 
Mackinaw, accompanied by a flotilla of 
canoes, bearing a great number of Otta- 
wa warriors. 

Arrived at Mackinaw, the Ottawas, 



* Parkman. id his History of the Conspirncy of 
Pontine, says that the name of thi- Otiawa chief at 
L'Arbre Troche hae not pun-ived in history or tra- 
dition. This is a mistalce. His name, Nee-saw- 
kee. is familiar to the Ottawas of to-day. His 
grandson. Nee-saw-\va-f]nat, a chief of the Little 
Traveree Indians, died in 1857. M. L. L. 



CHAPTER IV. 

The Period Following Pontiac's War 
— The War of \812— Military Oper- 
ations on the Inland of Mackinac — 
Indian Barbarities — Golden Age 
oj the Ottawas of L'Arbre Croche — 
Extent of their Settlements — Indian 
Houses — Oar dens — Hunting 
Grounds — 7'/)e Jesuits Again — 
Churches Built. 



From the massacre at Mackinac in 
fully armed, filed into the fort, and took ; 1763 up to the close of the war of 1812, 
possession of it. A council of the two ■ a period of fifty-two years, we are able 
tribes followed, in which the wounded to gather from history and tradition 
feelings of the Ottawas were somewhat only meager accounts of events occurring 
seethed by a liberal present of plunder, ' strictly within the limits of the Grand 
taken from the whites. The prisoners Traverse country. It was not at any 
seem to have been divided, the Ottawas, j titne the theater of active war. The Ot- 
because they were the stranger party, j tawas were still the only inhabitants, ex- 
or for other reasons, being allowed to ; cept here and there an adventurous fur 



trader, or possibly a zealous Roman 
Catholic missionary. 

That the Ottawas of L'Arbre Croche 
were concerned, directly or indirectly, 
in most of the Indian troubles of the 
northwesteru frontier, occurring during 
the period alluded to, scarcely admits 
of a doubt. They were probably repre- 
sented at the grand Indian council held 
near the mouth of Detroit River, in 
1786. Some of their warriors, nodoubt, 
were present at the battles in which 
Harmer and St. Clair were defeated, and 
some of their braves may have fallen be- 
fore Wayne's Victorians army, ou the 
banks of the Miiumee. One of their 
noted chiefs, Saw-gaw-kee, a son of the 
former head chief Nee-saw-kee, was a 
firm believer in the Shawnee prophet 
Waw-wa-gi.sh e-maw, or, as he is called 
by the historians, Elkswatawa. It does 
not appear that either Tecumseh or the 
the prophet visited L'Arbre Croche in 
person, but the iufluence of the prophet 
was sufficient to induce a deputation of 
Ottawas from that vicinity to visit the 
distant Indian villages on Lake Su- 
perior, with a message he professed to 
have received from the Great Spirit, in- 
tended to rouse them against the Ameri- 
cans. 

When, in 1812, war was declared be- 
tween the United States and Great Brit- 
ain, Capt. Roberts, commanding the 
British post on St. Joseph's Island, was 
able in a short time to gather round 
him a thousand Indian warriors, for the 
capture of the Ameriiian fort on the is- 
land of Mackinac. It is probable that 
nearly the whole force of the Ottawa 
warriors of L'Arbre Croche and the 
scattered bauds around Grand Traverse 
Bay, was engaged in that enterprise. 
Tlie affair ended in the complete success 
of the British, happily without the shed- 
ding of blood. Two years later, when 
the Americans, under Col. Croghan, at- 
tempted to retake the fort, they were 
foiled mainly by the large force of In- 
dians the British commander had again 
been able to gather to his standard. In 
this attempt the Americans suffered se- 
vere lo.ss. The most shocking barbari- 
ties were practiced on the bodies of the 
slain. They were literally cut to pieces 
by their savage conquerors. Their 
hearts and livers were taken out, and 
cooked and eaten, and that too, it is 
said, even in the quarters of the British 
officers. More than forty years after- 
wards, when the Indians had become 
friendly towards the Americans, and the 
settlements of the latter had reached the 
Grand Traverse country, Asa-bun, an 
Indian of Old Mission, used to be point- 
ed out as one who had been seen run- 
ning about with a human heart in his 
hands, which he was devouring. Anoth- 



A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



er, a chief by the Dame of Aish-qun 
gwoD-a-ba, was credited by tbe settlers, 
whether justly or not, with keeping a 
Dumber of scalps, the trophii'S of his 
prowess at iMackinao, carefully hidden 
away iu a certain trunk. 

lu reviewing the history of the ludiau 
tribes of the United Slates, one can not 
avoid the conclusion that the greatest 
hindrance to the increase of population, 
and, indirectly, to the development of 
an iudigenous civilization, was not so 
much the privatioDS incident to a peace- 
ful savage state as to the destruction of 
life by constantly recurring wars. There 
seems little doubt that if the number of 
deaths by violence during a given time 
could be ascertained, it would be found 
not to fall far below the number of 
births for the same period. This re- 
mark applies more especially to the In- 
dians as the Europeans found tbem ; 
not to those ol the present time, where 
whites and Indians hve in mingled or 
adjacent commuuities, in the border 
settlements. The sudden partial transi- 
tion from their mode of life to that of 
their white neighbors and the adoption 
of many of the worst vices of the white 
men with few of their virtues, are doing 
more to hasten the extinction of the 
race than was done by all the Indian 
wars of which we have any knowledge. 

If, as their tradition asserts, the Otta 
was were at the height of their power and 
glory at the time of Pontiac's war, a Lit- 
er period was the golden age of those at 
L'Arbre Crocbe, with reference to the 
prosperity that comes from peaceful 
pnrsuits. 

At the close of the war of 1812, the 
occupation of the warrior passed away. 
Quarrels with their Indian neighbors of 
the south and west, and with the Iro 
quois of the east, had already ceased. 
Thenceforth there was no opportunity 
to take an enemy's scalp. The arts of 
war gave place to the peaceful pursuits 
of savage life. There followed as much 
prosperity as savage life improved by 
the first dawnings of civilization, in a 
country well fitted by nature for the 
habitation of a people in just that stage 
of advancement, was capable of produc- 
ing. The lakes, streams, and forests, 
with their cultivated gardens of no mean 
extent, supplied an abundance of food ; 
their peltries, bartered at Mackinnc, 
procured various articles of comfort and 
luxury. The baleful effects of fire-water 
were yet but seldom felt ; the ruinous 
inflnence of vicious white men had not 
yet begun to warp the Indian character. 
The concurrent testimony of witnesses 
still living goes to show that, previous 
to the time when the first adventurous 
white men erected their cabins in the 
Grand Traverse country, there was a de- 



gree of physical comfort, moral culture, 
ami sociid and domestic happiness among 
the Indiana far exceeding what the ob- 
servation of a more recent peiiod would 
would lead one to believe. Their con- 
dition was much better than that of the 
ordinary American savage of the average 
historical writer. 

Their principal and most permanent 
8i'ttlemeuts were at Cross Village, Mid- 
dle Vi'.lage, Seven Mile Point, and Lit- 
tle Traverte; but between the first and 
last of these places, wigwams, singly and 
in groups, were scattered at intervals all 
along the shore. A few families had 
their home at Bear Creek, on the south 
side of Little Traverse Bay. There were 
gardens on the height of land, a mile or 
more back from the shore, not far south 
of the present village of Norwood, and a 
camping place, frequently occupied, on 
the shore. There were gardens on the 
peninsula in Grand Traverse Bay and a 
village at Old Mission. West of the 
bay, a small band had their home on the 
point afterwards known as New Mission, 
and another on the shore of Lake Mich- 
igan, at or near the site of the present 
village of Leland. 

Their dwellings were of various sizes 
and shapes, and were constructed of a 
variety of materials. The most substan- 
tial and permanent, consisted of a frame 
of cedar poles, covered with cedar bark. 
One of thene, called o-maw-gay-ko-gaw- 
mig, was square or oblong, with perpen- 
dicular walls, and a roof with a slope iu 
opposite directions, like the simplest 
form of frame houses among white men. 
Another, the ke-noday-we-gaw-mig, had 
perpendicular end walls, but the side 
walls in the upper part were bent in- 
ward, meeting along the middle line, 
thus forming the roof in the shape of a 
broad arch. Houses of this kiud were 
sometimes fifly or sixty feet long, and 
bad places for three fiies. The ne-saw- 
wah-e-gun and the wah-go-ifo-gawn, were 
light but very serviceable houses, con- 
sisting of frames of poles covered with 
mats. The former was cone shaped; 
the latter regularly convex at the top. 
The mats, ten or twelve feet long and 
three or four wide, were made of the 
long, slender leaves of the cat-tail flag, 
{Typha,) properly cured and carefully 
sewed together. When suitably adjust- 
ed on the frames, with the edges lap- 
ping, they - made a serviceable roof. 
Being Ii(!bt, and, when rolled up, not 
inconvenient to carry, they were used 
for traveling tents. Houses of mats 
were often used for winter residence in 
the woods, and were not uncomfortable. 
The ah-go-beem-wah-guD was a small 
summer house for young men, usually 
constructed of cedar bark, on an eleva- 
ted platform resting on posts, reached 



only by ascending a ladder. Winter 
houses iu the woods, were sometimes 
built of slabs, or planks, of split timber. 
They were often <?one-shaped, and were 
made tight and warm. They were called 
peno-gawn.* In the woods, even in 
winter, they sometimes lived in tempo- 
rary wigwams of evergreen boughs, 
which they managed to make comforta- 
ble. 

The Indian houses were without win- 
dows. The fire was built upon the 
ground, in the center if the lodge was 
small ; or there was a row of fires down 
the middle line, in a long ke-no day-we- 
gaw-mig. A hole in the roof, above 
each fire, seived for the escape of the 
smoke. A raised platform, a foot or a 
foot and a half high, covered with mats, 
along the sides of the room, served for a 
seat during the day and for a sleeping 
place at night. The mats, some of them 
beautifully ornamented with colors, were 
made of rushes found growing in shal- 
low lakes, ingeniously woven together 
with twine manufactered from the bark 
of the slippery elm. 

In their gardens they cultivated com, 
pumpkins, beans, and potatoes. Apple 
trees, the seed for which was originally 
obtained from the whites— either the 
Jesuit missionaries or the fur traders — 
were planted in every clearing. WUd 
fruits, especially choice varieties of wild 
plums, were grown from seed intro- 
duced from their distant southern hunt- 
ing grounds. At the time of the present 
writing, fruit trees of their planting are 
found growing wild in the young forests 
that have sprung up on abandoned 
fields. The gardens were frequently 
some distance from the villages. The 
owners resorted to them at the proper 
season, to do the necessary work, living 
for the time in portable lodges or in 
temporary structures erected for the oc- 
casion. 

Though they hunted more or less at 
all times, winter was the season devoted 
more especially to that pursuit. Then 
the greater part of the population left 
the villages, and scattered through the 
forest. The chain of inland lakes in 
Antrim county, having its outlet at Elk 
Rapids, was a favorite resort, on account 
of the facilities for fishing, as well as for 
hunting and trapping. Many plunged 
into the deeper solitudes of the forest, 
and fixed their winter abode on the 
Manistee, the Muskegon, or the Sauble. 
Others embarked in canoes, and coasted 
along Lake Michigan to its southern 
extremity, from there making their way 
to the marshes of the Kankakee and the 
hunting grounds of northern Indiana 
and Illinois. Several families had their 
favorite winter camping place on the 
northeastern shore of Boardman Lake, 
within the present corporate limits of 



8 



A mSTOKT OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



Traverse City. Here the women aud 
children remained, while the hunters 
made lung trips in the woods, returning 
to camp, with the spoils of the chase, 
several times during the winter. One 
principal advantnge of the location, was 
the abundance of pickerel in the lake — 
<tn uuaudance that seems fabulous to the 
white tiaherman of the present day. 
They were caught with spears, through 
boles cnt in the ice, and were an im- 
portant addition to the winter supply of 
food. 

In spring, traders came from Mackin- 
ac, and Humetimes from other places, to 
barter goods for furs. Not infrequent- 
ly, however, the Indian hunter, accom- 
panied by his wife and children, pre- 
ferred to visit the center of trade with 
bis peltries, in person. Then, some- 
times, there was a brief but feai f ul in- 
dulgence of the Indian's appetite for 
strong drink. At home sobriety usually 
prevailed. 

How long the Jesuits continued active 
work at L'Arbre Croobe after the time 
of Father Jonois, is not known. There 
seems to have been a laug period during 
which the Indians were left to them- 
selves. The great cedar cross remained 
standing on the brow of the bluif at ! 
Cross Village, a memorial of the devo- 
tion and zeal of the early missionaries, I 
but their teachings had been forgotten. I 
It is said that when the ground was af- 
terwards re-occupied, only one Indian 
could be found who could prove himself 
a christian by making the sign of the 
cross. 

In 1825, the Catholics sent a mission- 
ary to re-occupy the long abandoned 
field. Seven Mile Point was chosen as 
a center of operations, and a church was 
immediately built. The building was 
about twenty feet by forty in size, con- 
structed, like the better class of Indian 
bouses, of the most suitable materials 
readily obtainable — cedar timbers for the 
frame, and for the covering cedar bark. 
Seven Mile Point not proving a satisfac- 
tory location, in 1827 the mission was 
moved to Little Traverse. At the latter 
place a church, of cedar logs, was built 
the following year. About tbe same 
time, a similar church was built at Cross 
Village. The work of the missionaries 
was successful, a considerable number 
of ludians readily becoming Catholics. 

About 1839 and 1840, the population 
was greatly diminished by a sudden ex- 
odus, caused by distrust of the Indian 
policy of the United States government. 
Fearing to be forcibly removed beyond 
the Mississsippi, fully one half of the 
ludians, it is said, took refuge in 
Canada. 

In the preceding pages, the author has 
endeavored to narrate succinctly the 



events known to have occurred in the 
Grand Traverse region while it was yet 
a strictly Indian country, and to por- 
tray truthfully the situation as it was 
when the first adventurous white men 
essayed to establish permanent homes 
within its borders. In those that follow, 
it will be our duty to trace, as faithfully 
as the material at hand will enable us to 
do, the varied fortaaes of the early 
pioneers. 

•All these names of Indiin honpes are pro- 
nounced with the accent on the last eyll lolo. Id 
Indian wordd, f; always has the hard euiind. 

M. L. L. 



CHAPTER V. 
The two Missionarien — ConsultaUon 
With the IndiariH — Site for Mission 
Chosen at FAk River— The Track of 
a White Man's Ili.rse — House Built 
— Sorrowful News — Visit Fmm In 
dian Agent — Removal to Mission 
Harbor — School Opened — A Mix- 
ture of Rxcea—Two Civilizing 
Agencies. 

In May, 1839, a Mackinaw boat, with 
four men at the oars aud two passen- 
gers, rounded tbe point that, jutting 
out from the peninsula into the east 
arm of Grand Traverse Bay, forms the 
little cove known as Mission Harbor. 
The passengers were Rev. John Flem- 
ing and Rev. Peter Dougherty, mission- 
aries of the Presbyterian B lard. They 
had spent the previous winter at Macki- 
nac, and now came to the country of 
Grand Traverse Bay, which to the white 
man was then almost a terra incognita, 
for the purpose of establishing a mission 
among the Indians. They had brought 
supplies from Mackinac, including 
doors and windows for a house. 

On all sides the country wns seen in 
its primeval wildness and beauty. 
Tbe shores were fringed to the water's 
edge with foliage of various shades of 
green. In the crystal flood on which 
their frail jraft floated, the shore scenes 
were reflected, as in a mirror of liquid 
silver. Of the presence of man there 
were no signs visible, save a few bark 
wigwams, in a narrow break in the 
fringe of forest, from one of which a 
thin column of blue smoke curled lazily 
upward. 

The adventnrers landed, near where 
the wharf has since been built. They 
found only one Indian in tbe village. 
He informed them that the band were 
encamped at the mouth of the river, on 
the opposite side of the bay. The In- 
dian made a signal with a column of 
smoke, which had the effect of bringing 
over a canoe, full of young men, who 
came to inquire who the strangers were 
and what was wanted. 

The next day, a chief, with a number 
of men, cams over. Messrs. Fleming 



and Dougherty informed him that they 
had come, by direction of their agent at 
Mackinac, and by permission of their 
great father, the president, to estublish 
a school among them for the iustruction 
of their children, aud to teacti them a , 
knowledge of the Savior. The reply I 
was that the head chief, with his men, 
would come in a few days, and then 
lliey would give an answer. 

On the arrival of the he id chief, Aish- 
qua gwon-a-ba,* a council Wiis held, for 
the purpose of considering the proposal 
of the missionaries. At its close, Messrs. 
Fleming and Dougherty were informed 
that the Indians had decided to unite 
the bands living in the vicinity, a id lo- 
cale near the river, on the east side of 
the bay. If the missionarieo would go 
with them, they would show them the 
intended location of their new villages 
and gardens, so that they could select a 
good central site for their dwelling and 
school. 

About the 20th of the month, the 
white men, in their boat, accompanied 
by a flnet of Indian canoes, crossed the 
bay, landing at the mouth of the river, 
where the village of Elk Rupids is now 
situated. The ludians proposed to di- 
vide their settlement into two villages. 
After looking over the ground, the mis- 
sionaries chose a location, somnthiast 
more than a quarter of a mile from the 
river, on the south side. 

The day after the missionaries lauded 
at Elk River, the Indians came to their 
tent in great excitement, saying there 
were white men in the country. They 
bad seen a horse's track, which contain- 
ed the impression of a shoe. Their po- 
nies were not shod. Shortly after, a 
white man came into the camp. He 
proved to he a packman, belonging to a 
company of United States surve.Tors, 
who were at work on the east side of 
Elk and Torch lakes. He bad lost his 
way, and wanted a gui.le, to pilot him 
back to his company. An Indian went 
with him several miles, returning in the 
afternoon with the man's hatchet in his 
possession, having taken it on the refus- 
al of the latter to pay him for his servic- 
es. The next day, the whole company 
of surveyors came in, and encamped for 
a short time at the river. 

Immediately after deciding upon the 
location, Messrs. Fleming and Dough- 
erty commenced cutting logs for the 
const) uction of a dwelliog and school- 
house. Hard work and the discomforts 
of a wilderness, the latter of which were 
doubly annoying to the inexperienced 
missionaries, filled up the next few 
days. Among other evils from which 
they could not escape, the sand flies 
were a terrible torment. Finally, the 
body of the house was raised, the doors 



A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



and wiudows brought from Mackiuns 
were put in their places, auil the gables 
aDd roof were covered with sheets of ce- 
dar bark , purchased of the Indians. 

Then an unexpected blow fell upon 
the devoted missionaries, crusliiug the 
hopes and changing the life prospects 
of one, and plunging both into deep 
sorrow. A messenger came from Mack- 
inac, with intelligence that Mr. Flem- 
ing's wife had suddenly died, at that 
place. The bereaved husband, with the 
four men who had come with them, im- 
mediately embarked in their boat for 
Mackinac. He never returned to the 
mission. Mr. Dougherty was left alone. 
With the exception of the surveyors at 
■work somewhere in the interior, he was 
the only white person in the country. 

After the departure of bis comrade, 
^Ir. Dougherty, with the assistance of 
Peter Greensky, the interpreter, busied 
himself with the work of finishing the 
house, and clearing away the brush in 
the vicinity. Once or twice the cedar 
bark of the roof took fire from the stove 
pipe, but fortunately the accylent was 
discovered before any serious damage 
was done. The old chief Aish-qua- 
gwon-a-ba and his wife, perhaps to show 
their friendliness and make it less lone- 
ly for the mis.sionary, came and staid 
with him several days in his new house. 
About the 20th of June, Henry R. 
Schoolcraft, Indian agent at Mackinac, 
arrived, in a small vessel, accompanied 
by his interpreter, Robert Graverat, 
and Isaac George as Indian blacksmith. 
From information received at Mackinac, 
Mr. Schoolcraft had come impressed 
with the notion that the harbor near the 
little island, on the west side of the pe- 
ninsula, (Bowers' Harbor,) would be a 
suitable point at which to locate the 
blacksmith, carpenter, and farmer, that, 
by the terms of the recent treaty, the 
government was obligated to furnish 
for the benefit of the Indians. Looking 
over the ground, and consulting the 
wishes of the Indians, he finally came 
to the conclusion that Mission Harbor 
was a more suitable place. Accordingly 
Mr, George was left to commence opera- 
tions, and Mr. Schoolcraft returned to 
Mackinac. 

Soon after the departure of Mr. School- 
craft, Ah-go-sa, the chief at Mission 
Harbor, accompanied by the principal 
men of his band, visited Mr. Dougher- 
ty, saying that most of the Indians at 
that place were unwilling to move over 
to the east side of the bay, and offering 
to transport him and his goods across to 
Mission Harbor, and furnish him a 
house to live in, if he would take up 
his residence with them. Convinced 
that, all things considered, the harbor 
was a more elegiblo site for the mission, 



accepted the | at the Mission, having come by appoint- 
' ment of Mr. Schoolcraft, to reside there 



Mr. Dougherty at once 

proposal. Leaving what things were 

not needed for immediate use, and load- ' as Indian farmer. During the winter, 

ing the balance in Indian canoes, he the mission family consisted of the four 

was ferried across the bay to the scene | men— Dougherty, George, Greensky, 

of his future labors — the place where he 

had first landed, not many weeks before. 



had 
for 



and which, under the name of Old Mis- 
sion, has since become famous as a cen- 
ter of development of the agricultural 
interests of northwestern Michigan. 

The next day, arrangements were 
made for opening a school, with inter- 
preter Greensky as teacher, in the little ! which had been built at Elk Rapids 
bark wigwam that the Indians had va- j previous yeir was taken down, and 



I and Johnston. Mr. Johnston 
! brought with him a yoke of oxen, 
use iu Indian farming. There was no 
fodder in the counti^, unless he may 
have brought a little with him. Be that 
as it may, he found it necessary to 
browse his cattle all winter. 

In the spring of 1840, the log house 

the 
the 



cated for Mr. Dougherty's use. Then materials were transported across the 
followed a hard summer's work. Mr. I bay and used in the construction of a 
Dougherty and Mr. George couMuenoed schoolhouse and wood-shed. Until the 
the construction of a house for them- mission church was built, a year or two 
selves. The logs for the building were j after, the schoolhouse was used for hold- 
cut close along the border of the harlpor, ing religious services, as well as for 
floated to a point near where they were 1 school. 



to be used, and then dragged to the site ' 
of the building l)y hand. Of course, 
the work could never have been accom- \ 
plished without the aid of the Indians. 
The house was covered with shingles, 
such as the two inexperienced men were 
able to make, and a few boards brought 
from Mackinac with their fall supplies. 



In the fall of 1841, besides Indian 
wigwams, there were five buildings at 
the mission — the school-house and four 
dwellings. All were built of logs, and 
all, except Mr. Dougherty's house, were 
covered with cedar bark. The dwellings 
were occupied by Mr. Dougherty, mis- 
sionary, Henry Bradley, mission teach- 



The building was so nearly completed , er, John Johnston, Indian 
that the men found themselves comfort- 
ably housed before winter fairly set in. 

Desiring not to be left alone, while 
the Indians were absent on their annual 1 
winter hunt, Mr. Dougherty induced ! 
the chief Ah-go-sa and two others, with 
their families, to remain till sugar-mak- 1 
ing time in the spring, by offering to 
help them put up comfortable houses 
for winter. There is some uncertainty 
about the style of these houses. We 
are informed that the offer was, to help 
them put up log or slab shanties. If 
finally the latter was determined on, the 
slabs must have been rough planks, 
split out of suitable logs with beetle and 
wedges, and smoothed with an ax. 
Whether the shanties were built cone- 
shaped or not, by placing the planks on 
end in a circle, with the tops inclining 
inward, like the Ottawa pe-bone-gawn, 
does not appear. Before thoy were fin- 
ished, the weather had become so cold 
that boiling water had to be used to thaw 
the clay for plastering the chinks in the 
walls. Mr. Dougherty's house stood on 
the bank of the harbor, east of the site 
afterwards occupied by the more com- 
modious and comfortable Mission house. 
The chief's shanty wa.s built on the 
south side of the little lake lying a short 
distance northwest of the harbor. The 
cabins for the other two Indian families 
were located a little way south of where 
the mission church was afterwards 
built. 

In the fall, Mr. John Johnston arrived 



farmer, and 
David McGulpin, assistant farmer. Mr. 
George was still there, and there 
had been another addition to the com- 
munity in the person of George John- 
ston, who had come in the capacity of 
Indian carpenter. As regards race, the 
little community, the only representa- 
tive of christian civilization in the heart 
of a savage wilderness, was somewhat 
mixed. John Johnston was a halt In- 
dian, with a white wife: McGulpin 
was a white man, with an Indian wife. 
All the others, except Greensky the 
interpreter, were whites. 

As the little community represented 
two races, so also it represented two dis- 
tinct agencies, working in harmony for 
the improvement of the physical, intel- 
lectual, and moral condition of the In- 
dians. The blacksmith, carpenter, and 
farmer were employes of the United 

' States government, appointed by the 
Indian agent at Jfackinac, and subject 
to his control. It was their duty to in- 

: struct the Indiana in tlie simpler and 
more necessary arts of civilization. 
The missionary and his assistants, the 
interpreter and teacher, were employed 
by the Presbyterian Board, and support- 
ed by missionary funds. The only as- 
sistance they received from the govern- 
ment was an allowance for medicines 
dispensed to the Indians. 



•Thifl name oahl be ncccnted on the foarth 
syllable, aivlnj,' the a the Ion;,' eouud. M. L. L. 



10 



A fflSTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



CHAPrEUVI. 
Mrs. Doiigherly—The Dame Family— 
Lewis Miller — '/'he Minnii/n School 
— First Frame Jiuilding — Church 
Built— First White Settlers— Sc it 
tering of the Indians — Jd moval of 
the Missi.n— Manual Labor School 
— The Mission Discontinued. 
Id tie fall of 1841, an eveut occurred 
that must bare cieutej a little Hiilter of 
excitemeut iu the quiet aud isolated set- 
tlemeut at the Mission. It was on a 
pleasant morning iu September tliat the 
little schooner Su|iplycame iutotbe har- 
bor, having ou 'loard as passeugers, be 
sides Mr. aud .Mrs. Dougherty and their 
infant daugliter Hturiettu, two persons 
whose names have siuce become inti- 
mately assiicittted with the events of the 
ea ly history of the Oiand Traverse 
country. Those two persons were Dca 
con Joseph Dame and Lewis Miller. 

We are not informed at what time Mrs. 
Dougherty first came to the missiou. 
Ou the occasion referred to, she aud her 
husband were returning from a visit to 
Mackinac, where they had gone some 
time previously, in order to be within 
reach of suitable assistance at tho period 
of Mrs. Dougherty's cw'finement. 

Deacon Dime had received the ap- 
pointment of Indian farmer, as succes.sor 
to John Johnston, ami Ciime to enter up- 
on the duties of his oflSce. With him 
were Mis. Dame, Iheir eldest son,Eii8e- 
bius F. , aud two daughters, AIniira and 
Mary. Another daughter, Olive M., 
came the following year. 

Lewis Miller was au orphan, leftnlone 
to make his way in the world. His birth- 
place was Waterloo, Canada West ; the 
date of his birth September 11th, 1824. 
The year 1839 found him in Clucago. 
From that City, in 1840, he made his 
way to Mackinac. Here he became ac- 
quainted with the Dames. A stioag 
friendship grew up between him aud Mr. 
and Mrs. Dame. When, in 1841, Dea- 
con Dame received his appointment as 
Indian farmer, and comraeiiced prepara- 
tions for removal to his uew field of labor. 
Miller, then seventeen years of age, re 
solved to accompany him, more fi>r the 
novelty of the thing than fiom any defi- 
nite purpose with reference to the future. 
Except the children who came with their 
parents, he was the firtt white settler in 
the Grand Traverse country who did 
not come in consequence of an appoint- 
ment from the Presbyterian Board or the 
Mackinac Indian agency. 

Eusebins and Almira Dame were in 
their feene ; Mary was younger. Dur- 
ing some portion of the time for the next 
year or two, tbe three, with youug Mil- 
ler, were pupils in the mission school. 
A trae picture of that school, could one 



have been handed down to ua. would be 
a picture of absorbiu.; interest. Except 
the Catholic mission school at Lit.le 
Tr.iverse, it was the first in the GiaLd 
Traverse country. 

Imperfectly we may picture to our- 
selves tbe small, roughly built, liigscbool- 
bouse, with its covering of cedar bark ; 
a few Indian cbiiilreii, half dressed, ac- 
c trdiug to civil z.d notions, looking witli 
wondering eyes upon tbe mysterious 
characters of tbe books put into theii 
hands; the four white pupils, conscious 
of ibe disadvantage of isolation from tbi 
great world of learning and ri-tiuement, 
yet ambitious to excel; tbe patiei.t, 
hopeful teacher, sowing the seeds ol 
truth accorling to tbn divine injiiuction, 
not knotting "whether sImU pro'^per. 
either this or that, or whether both shall 
be alike good." Then we may picture the 
surrouudiu^s — Ibe scattered gioup of 
log boases and Indian wigwams; tbe 
forest, lovelj iu tbe ten li'i green of early 
summer or gorgeous in gay autumn col- 
ors; the bay, placid ind shimmering iu 
tbe g lideu siii.liglit orla<bt-d iutj foam 
by tbe furious north wind; tbe Illdiall^, 
idle and listless arrayed n scanty cos- 
tume or decked with a profusion of sav- 
age fiiiev\ ; the lew white pople, intent 
on the labors of their several stations 
and apparently ci nteut lu tbe il.scharge 
of duty, yet sometimes cisUng regretful 
gl.iuces back w ard to other days and other 
homes. Aud we may wonder how, when 
the ludiaiiB had gone to taeir bi.ntiug 
grount'.B, and winter hail come down 
from tbe uoith in all his fury, shutting 
them up vr.iliin the linut.j of their little 
Settlement almost as effectively as lock- 
ing them iu a prison, they managed to 
keep cheerful during tbe dreary, monot- 
onous mm lbs, till the opening spring 
permitted the re-establishment of com- 
munication with tbe outside world. 

About 18 5, tbe coLStruction of a more 
commodious dwellii g and a mission 
church was commenced by Mr Dougher- 
ty. Tbe dwelling, siuce known as the 
mission house, was ibe Hi- frame build- 
ing erected in the Grand Traverse coun- 
try. Tbe church had solid walls, of 
hewn cedar timbers laid one upon anoth- 
er and kept in place l)y tbe ends being 
fitted into grooves in upright posts. 
The timbers were br iigbi from the east 
fide of the Uay, iu a bnge log canoe, or 
dug out, cilled the Pe-to-be go, which 
was thirty feet long, and, it is said, was 
capable of carrying twenty barrels of 
flour, At the present writing, lorty 
years after theco:upletion of these striic 
tures, the mission house, enlarged and 
improved, is occupied as a dwelling by 
Mr. D. Rusbmore. The church is owned 
t>y the Methodist Episcopal society of 
Old Mission, and is s-iU ust.d as a house 



of worsliip. Tbe little log schoolbou.se, 
iu which Mr. Brad.ey taught Miller aud 
the young Dames, in connection with 
bis c is.-es of luaiau boys aid girls, was 
accidentally burned several years ago. 

During tbe next ten years, some 
changes occurred at the missiou. Mr. 
Bradley as teacher was succeeded by a 
gentleman by tbe name of Whiteside. 
Not liking tbe position, Mr. Wliitoside 
soon resigned, aud was followed by .\\r. 
Andrew Porter. 

CliHiiges were also made, from time to 
time, amcmg the employes of tbe Indian 
agency. Some of them remained in tbe 
country, after their connection with tbe 
agency liml terminated, aud turned their 
atteution to farming or other pnrsiits. 
Among such appear tbe names of John 
Campbell, Robert Campbell, Wm. R. 
Stone, aud J. M. Pratt. Among tbe ear- 
lier settlers uot connected with tbe mis- 
si 111 or tbe sgenc^ , were H. K. Coles, 
John Swane^, and Martin S. Wait O. 
P. Ladd and bis brother in- law, Orlin 
Hugbson, settled on tbe peninsula as 
early as 1850. but remained only two or 
three years. E. P. Ladd, bavingcomeona 
visit to his sister, Mrs. Hugbson, in Mny, 
1852, was so Well pleased with the couu- 
tiy that be at once determined to make 
his home here. O. A. Craker arrived 
iu April of tbe same year, and immedi- 
ately hired out to Mr. Dougherty. 

The little group of wigwams and log 
cabins at the harbor, had grown to a vil- 
lage of considerable size. The Indians 
bad generally abandoned their eaily 
style of wigwams, and were living in 
houses built ol hewn logs aud wbite- 
wasbed ou the outside. Seen from a 
distance, the village presented a pietty 
and inviting appearance ; a close inspec- 
tion did not always confirm first impres- 
sions. According to their original cus- 
tom, the Indians lived in the village, and 
cultivated gardens some distance away. 

The gardens, or patches of cultivated 
ground, were of all sizes, from one acre 
to six. The ludiaus bad no legal title to 
the soil. By tbe te ms of treaty, tbe 
peninsula unl been reseived for their 
exclusive occupation for a period of five 
years, aud after that they were to be 
permitted to remain duriug tbe pleasure 
of the government. I lie period of five 
years bad long since expired. Their 
landed property was held by sufferance, 
and was liable at any moment to be taken 
away. The project of removing them 
beyond the Mississippi was at one time 
seriously entertained by the government, 
or at least it was so understood. The pros- 
pect was not pieu ing to tbe Indians. A 
deputation sejt to examine their pro- 
posed utw bo.ue ill tbe west, reported 
: unfavorably. They determined not to 
' be removed, preferring to take refuge 



A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



11 



in Cuimdiir as a litrgu part of tlie luiliau 
populiitiou of Emmet couuty had dotie 
several j-eurs before. 

At tliiH juncture, tho adoptinn of tbe 
revised Stite constitution of 1850 male 
citizeus of nil civilized persoDR of ludian 
descent, not ii. m lers ..f any fril>e. 
Here wao a way out of tbe difiicnlty. 
They could piirclmse laud of the goveru- 
meut, i>eltle dotvu npou it, and claim the ', 
prote (i>>ii II the State and the f;eneral , 
government as citizens. The land on 
the peninsula wis not yet in market ; 
that oil the we.^t shore of thfc li ly wiis. 
By the adv ce of Mr. DoUirheitv. sever- 
al f.iuiilieK agreed to ~el apart a certain 
amonnt, out uf tl eir next annual pay- 
ment, for the pnrch i.se of land. A list 
of names wa.s miide, an 1 tlie chief was 
auth 11 iztil to receive the money from 
the agtnt at Mackinac, which he bron^ht 
to Mr. Dunglierty fm- safe kteping. ' 
Having made their selections, on the 
west side of ihe bay, so ne nf their most 
trusty men were sent to the laud ofHce, \ 
at Ionia, tbe following spriug, to make 
tbe purchase. 

If the geueral government ever seri- 
ously entertained the pro; ei of remov. 
ing the IndLuis of the Grand Traverse 
cou^itiy beyond the Missi8.«ippi, it was 
abandim-'d, nnd several townships, in 
wb-it are now the counties of Leehiuaw, ' 
Charlevoix, and Emmet, were withdrawn j 
from market and set apart asi reserva- j 
tions for their benefit. Withiu the lira- i 
its of these reservations, each head of a 
family and < acli single per.-s n of mature 
age was permitted to select a parcel of ; 
laud, to be behl lor his own use, and 
eventually to become his property in fue 

Si.llple. 

As already indicated, the lands on tbe 
peninsula were not yet in mark.'t. The 
Indians held possession of considerable 
portions, bat could give no legal title to 
the soil. They coul 1, however, sell 
their p'issessory rights, and white men, 
recognizing the eligibility of the location 
fur agricu'turitl pursuits, were not back- ' 
w.od in bi'coin ng purchasers, taking tbe 
chance of obtaining a title from the gov- 
ernment at a future time. 

Tbe combined effect of the several 
circumstances narrated above, was to 
cause a gradual scattering of the Indians 
of the m sail HI s.itleii.ent. Those who 
bad purchased land on the west side of 
tbe bay, removed to their new homes. 
Others removed to the lands they had 
selected iu the reserved townships. 
Seeing that the Ii.dnn community at 
tbe miss.'iu would tii.ally be broken up, j 
Mr. Doug'ierly wi-el\ concluded to j 
change the location of ibe mission it.self. 
Accordingly pnr.'lia>'e was made of an 
eligible tract of land, suitable for a farm 
and u.ajujil labor soliool, on Mission , 



Point, near Ihe place u jw culled Ou^ena, 
in Leelauaw cmuly, to which he re- 
moved early in the spring of l852. 

Considering Ibe scattered condition 
and migratory habits of tbe Indians, it 
was thought that Ibe most eifective woik 
for their christianizatiou and civilization 
could be dona by gathering the youth 
into one family, where they would be 
constantly uud for a term of jears under 
the direct supervision and influence ot 
teachers. And then, a well mauageil in- 
dustrial school, it was thuught, could 
not fail to exert, in some degree, a ben- 
eficial influence on the parents and 
youth of the vicinity, who did not at- 
tend, by a practical exhibition of the ad 
vantages of education and industry. In 
this respect, the new location of the mis- 
sion was Well chosen, being in the vicin 
ity of those families who bad purchased 
land of the government, and who, it 
might reasonably be expected, would 
profit by its example. 

Mission Point had been occupied by a 
banil of Indians, cilled, from the name 
ot the.r chief, Shnwb-wah sun's band, 
some of whose gardens were included in 
the tract purchased by Mr. Dougherty. 
There were apple trees growing there, at 
the time of the purchase, a^ large as a 
man's body. Tradition says that the 
band had inhabited the western shore of 
thci bay for a long time, and had once 
been numerous and powerful. 

The mnnuiil labor school was opened 
in the fall following the removal. The 
number of pupils was limited to fifty — 
twenty five of each sex. Young children 
were not received, except iu one in- 
stance, when tbe rule was su.^pended in 
favor of two homeless orphans. 

When received into tbe school, the 
pupils were first washed and clothed. 
The common clothing of both sexes con- 
sisted of coarse but decent and service- 
able material. Tbe boys were employed 
on the farm ; the girls iu housework and 
sewing. Al five o'clock in the morning, 
tbe bell rang for all to rise. At six, it 
called all together for worship. Snoii 
after worship, breakfast was served, the 
boys sitting at one tablf, the girls at an- 
other. After breakfast, all repaired to 
their daily labor, and worked till halt 
past ei^bt, when tbe school bell gave 
warning to assemble at tbe school-room. 
The boys worked under tbe supervision 
of Mr. Craker. Every boy had suitable 
tools assigned him, which be was re- 
quired to care for and keep in their 
proper places. Mr. Craker kept the 
tools in order, so th.it they were always 
ready for use, and each boy could go to 
bis work promptly. A considerable por- 
tion of the mission farm was cleared, 
and afterwards cultivated, by the labor 
of tbe boys. Tbe girls were divided in- 



to classes, or compauies, to each of 
which was a.ssigned some particular de- 
partment of domestic labor, changes be- 
ing made weekly, so that all could be in- 
structed in every department 

In tbe school-room were two teachers 
—one for the boys and another for the 
girls. Miss Isal>ella Morrison, of New 
Haven, Ct, was for many years the 
girls' teacher. After her resignation, 
the placf! was filled by Miss Catherine 
Gibson, till the mission was discontin- 
ued. Miss Gib.on was from Pennsyl- 
vania. In the boys' department, tbe 
teachers were successively Miss Harriet 
Cowlea, Miss Beach, Mr. John Porter, 
and Miss Henrietta Dougherty. Miss 
Cowles came from near Batavia, N. Y., 
Miss Beach from White Lake, N. Y., 
and Mr. Porter from Pennsylvania. 

Concerning tbe mission, it only re- 
mains to mention that tbe financial em- 
barra8.smeut of tUe Board, growing out 
of the war of the rebellion, necessitated 
the discontinuance of the work. The 
School was fiually broken up, and tbe 
mission fnrui passed into other bands. 

Looked at from the christian stand- 
point, the mission seems to have been 
moderately successful. A good under- 
standing was always maintained between 
the mi.s.sionaries and the Indians. Mr. 
Dougherty testifies that the latter were 
uniformly kind. Both at Old Mission 
and Mission Point, a considerable num- 
ber were hopefully converted. 



CHAPTER VIL 
Personal Incidents and Heminiscencea 
— Wading the Boardmnn — A A'ew 
Wa}/ to Dry a Shirt— S'eepin;/ in 
1 arrth — A Tribute tg Mr. Dough- 
erty — The Dougherty Family — 
Homance of the Early Days — The 
Firist Wedding— Bridal Trip in a 
Birch Canoe — Lewit Miller as an 
Indian Trader — Marriage at Mack- 
inac and Tempestuous Voyage 
Hojnr — " Where is the Town f" 
During the period of Mr. Dougherty's 
residence at Old Mission, there being no 
physician iu tbe country, be was often 
applied to for medicine and advice for 
the sick. On one occasion, after Mr. 
Boardmau bad established himself at 
the bead of tbe bay, at tbe place where 
Traverse City now stands, he was called 
to prescribe for Mrs. Duncan, who was 
keeping tbe boarding-house at that 
place. Ho found Mrs. Duncan very 
sick. Two or three days after, not hav- 
ing beard from his patient in tbe inter- 
val, he became anxious for her safety, 
and resolved to get some information in 
regard to her condition, and to send a 
further supply of medicine, or repeat 
his viait. 



12 



A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



There were some men from Board- 
mau's eBtablishment getting out timber 
at the harbor on the west side of the 
peninsula, (Bowers' Harbor,) which they 
were conveying home in a boat. Hop- 
ing to get th desired information from 
them, and to send the necessary medi- 
cine by their hand, he walked across the 
peniusulA to their place of labor. The 
men had gone home with a cargo. 
Thinking he might get to Boardman's 
in time to return with them on their 
next trip, he started for the head of the 
bay on foot, making his way as rapidly 
as possible along the beach. There was 
no bridge over Boardman river near the 
boarding-house, and, on his arrival, the 
skiff used for crossing was on the other 
side. There was no time to lose. Not 
to be delayed, he quickly entered the 
stream, and waded across, the cold wa- 
ter coming up to his chin. Fortunately, 
he found his patient much improved ; 
unfortunately, the boat in which he had 
hoped to return was already nearly out 
of sight, on its way back to the penin- 
sula. 

Mr. Dougherty would have been hos- 
pitably entertained, could he have been 
persuaded to remain, but he felt that he 
must return home. Not stopping to put 
on a dry suit that was offered him, he 
partook of a hasty lunch, and set out on 
his return. Some one set him across 
the river in the skiff. As soon as he was 
out of sight in the woods, he resolved to 
dry his clothes, without hindering him- 
self in the journey. Taking off his shirt, 
he hung it on a stick carried in the hand, 
spreading it to the sun and air, as he 
walked rapidly along. The day was 
warm, and the sun shone brightly. 
When the shirt was partly dry, he ex- 
changed it for his flannel, putting on 
the shirt, and hanging the flannel on the 
stick. It was near sundown when he 
reached home, thoroughly fatigued, but 
happy in the thought that his patient 
was getting well. The nest day, he was 
so sore and stiff as to be scarcely able to 
move. 

Some years later, after the removal of 
the mission to the west side of the bay, 
Mr. Dougherty had an adventure that 
may serve to illustrate the wild charac- 
ter of the country, and the shifts to 
which the settlers were sometimes re- 
duced. 

While seeking supplies for his school, 
one spring, he heard that a vessel, car- 
rying a cargo of provisions, had been 
wrecked on the shore of Lake Michigan, 
somewhere south of Sleeping Bear Point, 
and that consequently there was flour 
for sale there at a reasonable price. In 
those days, the wrecking on the shore of 
a vessel with such a cargo, while it was, 
as now, a misfortune to the owners and 



underwriters, was not unfrequently a 
blessing of no small magnitude to the 
inhabitants. The captain of the unfor- 
tunate craft was usually willing and even 
anxious to sell, at a moderate price, such 
provisions as could be saved from the 
wreck, and the people were only too 
glad to buy. 

Starting early one morning, Mr. 
Dougherty walked across the country, 
to the Indian village of Cho-mago-bing, 
near the site of the present village of 
Leland. From Che-ma-gobing he fol- 
lowed the shore round the bay since 
marked on the maps as Good Harbor, 
past the place afterwards called North 
Unity, and round the point separating 
Good Harbor from what was then known 
as Sleeping Bear Bay, but since called 
Glen Arbor Bay, his point of destination 
being the residence of John Lerue, who 
he knew lived on the shore somewhere 
in that region. 

The walk was long and fatiguing. 
When the shades of evening fell upon 
the landscape, he had not reached Mr. 
Lerue's cabin. At ten o'clock he came 
to a small shed on the beach, where i 
some cooper had been making barrels 
for the fishermen on the coast. It was 
now too dark to travel, and he resolved [ 
to pass the night there. The air was 
chilly, but everything yas very dry, and | 
he feared to make a fire, lest the shed 
should be burned. One less conscien- 
tious than Mr. Dougherty, and less care- 
ful of the rights ot- otliers, would not 
have hesitated fpr such ii reason, but he 
preferred a night of discomfort to the 
risk of iniuring a fellow^being. A back- 
woodsman of more exiserience would, no 
doubt, have found a method to make ev- 
erything safe, while enjoying the luxury 
of a camp fire. 

Looking about for the best means of 
protection from the cold, he found two 
empty barrels, each with a head out. 
It occurred to him that these might be 
converted into a sleeping apartment. It 
required some little ingenuity to get in- 
to both at once, but after considerable 
effort he succeeded. Bringing the sec- 
ond barrel so near that he could reach 
the open end, he worked his head and 
shoulders into the first, and placing his 
feet and legs in the second, drew it up 
as close to the first as possible. In tell- 
ing the story years afterwards, Mr. 
Dougherty declared that he slept, and 
could not recollect his dreams, but, as 
his business was urgent, the luxury of 
his bed did not keep him long the next 
morning. He was out early, and soon 
found Mr. Lerue's house, which was not 
far off. 

He now learned, what would have 
saved him a toilsome journey, had he 
known it a day earlier, thajfthe flour had 



been removed to Northport, which 1^a9 
only a few miles from the mission. Af- 
ter breakfast, Mr. Lerue guided him 
across the point that separates the bays, 
and he set out for Northport. Arriving 
there after dark, ho was disappointed 
with the information that the flour h»d 
all been sold. After a night's rest, not 
in barrels on the beach, he had no'alter- 
native but to return home empty-handed 

Mr. Dougherty was a graduate of 
Princeton theological seminary. He was 
a person of strong convictions, energetic 
and persevering in. labor, in manner 
gentle and pleasing. His life work was 
well done. Blest with a companion of 
snperior natural and educational endow- 
ments, and the sincerity, sweet dispo- 
sition, and polished manners of the ideal 
christian lady, the social atmosphere of 
his home produced a healthful moral ef- 
fect on all who came within the sphere 
of its influence. Mr. and Mrs. Dougher- 
ty were fortunate in their children, of 
whom there were nine — one son '"and 
eight daughters. Two of the daughters 
died in childhood. The other children 
grew up to be an honor to their parents 
and a blessing to the communities in 
which their lots were cast. At the prop- 
er age, most of them were sent east, for 
a few years, for the sake of the educa- 
tional advantages that could not be had 
at home. The society of the early days 
of the Grand Traverse counti^ was 
largely indebted to the Doughertys for 
the refinement that distinguished it from 
the coarseness too often found in border 
settlements. * 

Those early days had their romance, 
as well as their stern realities of hard- 
ship and endurance. The first wedding 
in the Grand Traverse country would, 
no doubt, form a pleasing episode in the 
history we are tracing, were all the inci- 
dents of the iiffair plaeed at the disposal 
of some one capable of weaving t hem in- 
to shape with an artistic hand. 

It has been already mentioned that 
Deacon Dame's oldest daughter, Olive 
M., came to Old Mission the next sum- 
mer following the arrival of the family. 
She had passed the winter in Wisconsin, 
where she had been betrothed to Mr. 
Ansel Salisbury. In the fall after her 
arrival, Mr. Salisbury came to Old Mis- 
sion to claim his bride. 

Mr. Dongherty was anxious that the 
Indians of his flock should profijj by ac- 
quaintance with the institutions of chris- 
tian civilization. The opportunity to 
show them a form of aiarriage recog- 
nized by the white man's law and the 
church, was too impoitant toilet slip; 
conseqiientlj, by the consent of all par- 
ties, it was arranged that the ceremony 
should take place in public. 



I 



A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



13 



At a cuuveuieut huur iu ibe moruiug, 
tbe little scbuo'.buuse was fillfd witb a 
mixed company of wliites and ludiuus. 
There was uo newspaper reporter pres- 
ent, to describe tbe trousseau of tbe bride 
or tbe costumes of distiDKUisbed f^nesls. 
We must draw upi>n tbe imagiualiou for 
a picture of tbe same. We see tbe bride 
in simple attire, as became tbe occasion 
and tbe surrouudings. There are the 
Indian women, iu their brightest shawls 
and elaborately beaded moccasius, and 
the Indian men, some of them clotbeil 
iu a style only a degree or two removed 
from the most primitive undress, all 
looking gravely on, apparently unmoved, 
yet keenly observant of all that passes. 
Tbe whites are dressed in their Sunday 
b(8t, which, to tell the truth, is in raot-t 
cases somewhat rusty, their hilarity 
scarcely veiled by the gravity inspired 
by the solemnity of the occasion. The 
hymeneal rite is simple and impressive — 
tbe more impressive from the simple 
earnestness of its administration. Then 
we see the group of friends on the shore, 
waving adieus amid smiles and tears, as 
the newly married couple float away in 
their canoe, on the bridal tour. 

Mrs. Dame accompanied her daughter 
as far as Mackinac. The craft in which 
the company embarked, was a large 
birch bnrk canoe, navigated by four In- 
diana. They proceeded directly across 
tbe bay to the east shore. There tbe 
Indians got out a long line maufactured 
from basswood bark, and running along 
the beach, towed the canoe rapidly after 
them. At night they had reached tbe 
mouth of Pine River, where they made 
their camp. The next morning, the In- 
dians hoisted a large, squaie sail, and, 
mnuing before a fair wind, they reached 
Mackinac at ni.'ht. Mrs. Dame re 
turned in the canoe, with tbe Indians, to 
Old Mission. Mr. and Mrs. Sulisbury 
remained a few days at Mackinac, and 
then embarked on a steamboat for their 
home in Wisconsin. 

It has already been stated that Lewis 
Miller came to Old Mission in company 
with the Durae family, more for the 
novelty of the thing tb:in because of any 
definite plan for the future. At that 
time, the fur trade, having its center at 
Mackinac, was still profitable. When 
Toung Miller bad been at the Mi^siou 
•bout a year, he entered into an arrange- 
ment witb Mr. Merrick, a mercbiint of 
Mackinac, to open trade with the Indi- 
ans on tbe bay. Mr. Merrick was to fur- 
nish the goods ; Miller to conduct the 
business, A wigwam, rented of an In- 
dian, served (or a btorebouse at tbe Mis- 
sion. 

To carry on trade with the Indians 
Bucctasfuliy and profilubly, invi>lved a 
great deal of hard labor. Fiequeht 
jonrueya had to be made to Mackinac, 



and to various points along the shore, 
at all seasons cf tbeyear. When tbe lake 
was open, Indian canoes or Mackinac 
boats were useil ; when it was closed, 
there was no way but to travel on snow- 
shoes, on the ice or along the beach. 

The winter journeys were always at- 
tended with hard-<hip; sometimes with 
danger. Mr. Miller was usually accom- 
panied by a man iu his employ, and not 
uiifiequently by two — hall-bri'eds or 
ludiiius. When oveitaken by night, a 
camping place was t elected on the 
shore, wheie there was plenty of fuel at 
hand, and where some thicket would, 
in a measure, break the fury of the win- 
try wind. With their suow shoes for 
shovels, the travelers cleared away the 
snow down to the surface of the ground 
— not an easy task when, as was some- 
times the case, it was three feet or more 
iu depth. Then evergreen boughs wore 
set up around tbe cleared space, as a 
further protection from the wiud, and a 
thick carpet of twigs was spread on the 
ground. A fire was built, the kettle 
hung above it, and tea made. After 
supper the tired wanderers, each wrap- 
ped in two or three Mackinac blankets, 
lay down to rest. On one of his jour- 
neys to Mackinac, in the tlepth of win- 
ter, Mr. Miller and bis companions wad- 
ed Pine river, where Charlevoix is now 
situated, both going and returning. 

Stopping over at Little Traverse, when 
on a boat journey in December, Mr. 
Miller was informed by the Indians 
that a vessel had gone ashore, near 
the "Big Stone," on the south side 
of Little Traverse bay. It was already 
dark, but, procuring a boat and two 
Indians to row, he lost no time in 
crossing tbe bay to the scene of the 
disaster. He found tbe vessel with- 
out difficulty. There was no one re- 
maining on board, but a light could be 
seen, among the trees, Fome distance 
back from the beach. Making his way 
to it, he found gathered round a camp 
fire the crew of the vessel, which proved 
to be the Champion, and eighteen pas- 
sengers. Had he dropped from the 
clouds into their midet, the company 
woulil have been scarcely more sur- 
ptised. He was immediately over- 
whelmed with questions as to who he 
was, where be came from, and especially 
where they were. Neither captain, 
crew, nor passengers hud any definite 
notion of the locality they were in. 
Learning their exact position, they set 
about making nrrangements to get out 
of tbe wilderness. The captain willing- 
ly sold to Mr. Miller, at a low price, 
Huch supplies as the latter wished to 
purchase. Some of them bought boats 
of tbe Indians, and made their way to 
Mackinac. A party, led by the captain, 
croased Giand Traverse bay, '■'"'^■"g iu 



the vicinity of Omena, and proceeded 
south, on foot, along the shore of Lake 
Michigan. As far as known, crew and 
passengers all eventually reached their 
homes, but not without undergoing con- 
siderable hardship. Fortunately there 
were no women or children on board tbe 
Champion. 

The first bride who came to the Grand 
Traverse country on her wedding tour, 
was Mrs. Lewis Miller, whose maiden 
name was Catherine Eiley. She was a 
native of Loudon, Eug., and, like her 
husband, had been left an orphan. 
Somehow she bad found her way to 
America, and then to the outpost of civ- 
ilization at Mackinac. During Mr. 
Miller's frequent visits to that place, an 
attachment bad grown up between them, 
which finally resulted in marriage. The 
wedding took pliice in September, 18i5. 

Immediately after the marriage, they 
set sail in tbe little sloop Lady of the 
Lake, for their home in the wilderness. 
Mr. Miller had chartered the vessel for 
the occasion, and had loaded her with 
goods for the Indian trade, furniture, 
and supplies for housekeeping. 

The Lady was but a bit of a craft, bnt 
she was a perfect duck on the water, and 
fleet before anything like a favorable 
wind. The Fates, however, if the Fates 
have anything to do with regulating 
wedding trips, decreed a long and tem- 
pestuous voyage. It was the season 
when the god of tbe winds, on the north- 
ern lakes, delights to ornament their 
surface with foam capped waves, and 
tantalize the impatient mariner with va- 
riable breezes and the most disappoint- 
ing kinds of weather. 

The first day, they made the island ot 
St. Helena, where tbey were compelled 
to seek the shelter of the harbor. There 
were a dozen sail or more there, waiting 
for a favorable change. Several times 
the Lady ventured out, but was as often 
compelled to put back. Finally, seizing 
the most favorable opportunity, she waa 
able to reach Little Traverse. Here sbo 
was compelled to remain four days. 
The newly married couple went on shore, 
and found comfortable quartets in an 
Indian house. The woman of the house 
bad been brought up iu a white family 
at Mackinac, and being able to under- 
stand the wants of her guests, was in a 
degree successful iu her kind endeavors 
to make their stay pleasant. 

Leaving Little Traverse, the ▼essel 
reached tbe mouth uf Oraud Traverse 
bay, when she was again driven back. 
At the second attempt, she was obliged 
to heave to, in^the mouth of the bay, the 
captain remaining all night at tbe helm. 
As Miller came on deck in tbe morning, 
dull, leaden clouds obscured the sky, 
and the air was filled with snow flakes. 
He proposed to take the captain's place 



14 



A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



at the helm, wliile the latter sbuulJ tiiru P"' *>' <i«'»J P'"" leaves iipou Ibe gnmud. 
iu for a little rest. Tue oaptiiiu gludlj' | S" op*^u ""J pa'k like was tbe forest 
oouseuted. Ouce insitalled lu aiitburity, 
Miller miide sail, aud let tbe captaia 



sleep till tbe Lady was safely moored iu 
the burbor at Old Mi^siou. 

A young bride, coming for tbe first 
time to tbe bomo of ber busbaud, uiit- 
urully looks with a great deal of iuterest 
at tbe surrouudiuga. Sometimes tbere 
is disiippoiutmiuit. Tbere was probably 
DO serious disippoiutmuut ia tbis case, 
but it is a part of tlio traditioriul family 
history, Ibut as Mrs. Miller oume ou 
deck, that gluoniy September muruiug, 
aud looked auxiou>ly out upou tbe 
scene, beautiful iu it.H gloomiuess, aud 
saw ouly tbe forest-skirled shore aud tbe 
smoke curliug upward from tbe log 
houses of tbe whites aud a few ludiau 
wigwams, the first questiou she asked 
her buHbaud was, "Where is tbe towu?" 
Mr. Miller's oldest sou, Heury L., was 
the first white child boru iu the Graud 
Traverse oouutry. 



that oue could ride through it iu all di 
rectioun ou horseb ick at a rapid pace. 

Ou tbe right bauk of the river, a few 
rods below its exit frum the lake, ju>t 
where the laud slopes gently dowu to 
the water, there was a little opeu space 
covered with grass, where the Indians 
sometimes lauded from their cauoes. 
On the higher land above were some In- 
dian graves, of no gre.it age, each with a 
Stake at tbe head and foot. Ni t far 
away were ot!ii r graves, of a circular, 
monud like form, the work, probably, 
of a more ancieut people. Ou the uorlh- 
eastern shore of the lake were a few 
bark wigwjims, wh. re the women imd 



by the uame of Dunham, who, having 
been in tbe bay on a previous occasion, 
acted as pilot. 

Tbo Lady of the Lake,* a craft of 
only a few tons burthen, had originally 
beeu a pKasure yacht. She was sharp 
built, sloop rigsed, aud a faht sailer. 
Having become old aud rotten, and there- 
fore undesirable for the purpose for 
which she was oilgiually intended, Mr. 
Boaidman had been able to purcliase 
ber cheaply, is a vessel to answer his 
present convenience. Her only fault 
was that, ou account of ber decayed con- 
dition, she was unsafe in a storm. 

After assisting for a few days in the 
buililing of the house, Gay was dis- 
patc-bed with the little vessel to the 



children of some ludiiin families usuiil y i ,, ,1 

Manitou Islands, to bring ou u party of 



•Mrs. DoUKhcrty dii'd .May i4, 1876. Mr. Dough- 
erty is living at the pri-iieut tlmi-, 1IJ83, lu Somera, 
Wli. 

CHAPTER VIIL 
The Site of Traverse City as it was — 
First Purchase of Land— Arrival of 
Horace Boardman — First House 
Built— The Lady of the Lake and 
her Passengers— ]Vomen of thr. Col- 
ony- Visited by Indians — Home 
sickness— Sawmill Built. 
Not far sontb of the shore of Grand 
Traverse bay, at the head of its western 
arm, lies Boardman lake, a sheet of wa- 
ter a square mile or more iu txtent. 
Fiom its northwestern angle is-ues the 



passed the wiuter, while tbe men were 
absent on their annual hunt. With 
these exceptions, there wa:i no mark lo 
indicate that tbe foot of man had evi r 
trod these solitudes, or tb:it bis voice 
had ever heen heard above the ripplii,g 
music of tbe river or tbe singing of tl.e 
north wiud iu tbe tops of the pine trees. 
However, it was not the beauty of the 



place, nor its attractive solitu.ies. 



employes, who, it had beeu arranged, 
should come as far as the islands by 
steamer. Returning, tbe Lady entered 
i the river ou the 5th of July. There 
came in her as lasseugers Mr. Gay's 
young wife, then only about fifteen or 
sixteen yearsof age, and her four moutlis- 
old baby, Mr. and Mr.«. Duncnn, a hired 
girl n njid Ann Van Amburg, and 6.ev- 



neur to nature's heart, but its [iromised 
ad\autage8 for g'in, that brought the 
first adventurous settler to fix bis abode 
here. 



^" errl carpenters. 



Only the walls of the house had as 
yet been erecttd. The building was 
without roof, floors, doors, or windows. 
A sort of lean to, or open shed, with a 
floor of hewn planks, had beeu built for a 



In 1847, Capt. Boardman, a thrifty 

farmer living near Napierville, III., pur". | temporary kitchenTagarusT one side of 
chased of the Unit-d State, government 1 the house, in which a cookstove had 
a small tract of land at the mouth of the , been set up. A tent was now construct- 
river, and furnished means to his son, Ld of some spare sails, inside the uufin- 
Horace Boardmau, to build a sawmi I. ^ is^ed building, for the accommodation 
The latter with two or three men in his of the two married couples and the girl, 
employ, arrived at the river in the early The singl* men shifted for themselves 
part of June of that year, and immedi- ; as best they could. The company lived 
Boardman river, which flows for some J at.-'r commenced the coustructi.m of a i^ this manner during the remainder of 
distance in a northwesterly dircetion, , dwelling. The place selected was on the summer. T.,e hou«ie was not fiin- 
then turns sharply round towards the M be right bank of tl.e stream, a little ished till the saw-mill was so far corn- 
east, and, after runuing along nearly [ ""ay helow where it issues from Board- pieted as to saw lumber with which to 
parallel with the bay shore, enters the oian lake, but a few steps from the fiuigh jt 

bay at a point nearly opposite that at grass plat and canoe landing above al- n was only a day or two after their 
which it issues from the lake. Its course "ded to. The exact location of the „Hv«1 that the women, being alone 
from tbe lake to the bay is not ur.like [ building was in what is now Ea-st street. ^„^ ^j^^^^j ^,^ ^^^^ ^^„^^, ^^ thetram- 
the letter V, with its sharp angle turned between the center of the street aud its 
towards the west. The site of Traverse southern boundary, just east of the east- 
City lies between tbo lake and the bay, "^m boundary of Boardman aveuue. 
extending some distance to the south I' ^as a house of mod,-st preten- 
and west, aud includes within its limits sions as to size, being ouly sixteen feet 
that part of the river already described. '■. by twenty. four, aud one story high. 

All accounts agree in the statement I The material for the walls was ( iue logs ' te^t Mrs. Gay, though scarcely less 
that, before the so-call.d improven euts l^ewn square with the broad ax. In af- fHghtened, thought it policy to put on 
of civibzatiou had marred tbe adcrn- 'er years, it was kno.vn to the inhabit- a semblance of b. a very. Sheaccording- 



pling of horse-t, follosved l>y a confusion 
of discord int yells, which their excited 
imnginatious magnified into the terrific 
warwhoop of a maltit u'.e of bloodthirsty 
savages hankering after scalps. Mrs. 
Duucau and Ann cowered within the 



ly went out ana spoke to the Indians in 



meuts of nature, this was a most beanti- auts of the vilage as the "old block- 

ful spot. Tbe waters of Boardman lake l|""se." It was eventually destroyed by theiVowu langmigeVa'few wordroTwhic'b 
were clear as crystal. The river, with- hre. | ^^^ ,^^j ,^^^,^^ .,_ ^,^.,^ ^.^.^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ 

out drift-wood or the unsightly ol-strnc On the 20th of June, a week or more Rapids. To the relief of tl.e women 
tious of fallen trees, rau witli a swift cur- after Mr. Boardman 's arrival, the Ladv the Indians proved to lie friendly. They 
rent through an open forest of pines, of tbe Lake, owned by him aud sailed had seen the Lady ofthi Lai e sailing 
which occupied all the space between by Michael Gay, one of his emploves. up the bav. and bad come tj visit the 
the lake aud the bay. There was no uu- arrived in tb-^ mouth of the river, with ' white man's camp, prompted mainly by 
derbrush nor herbage-only a brown car- suppliea The. e came with Ga^ a man curiositv, but h»d brought for ttaffio 



A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



15 



sugar auil fisb, which they were glad to 
exchauge for such cotrujoditips as the 
whites hnd to dispose of. They were 
particnlnrly fond of pork, and were es- 
pecially glad to give any of their own 
food in return for it. The trade with 
the Indiiuis became afterwards an im- 
portant source of supply, when the fail 
nre of provisions threatened the little 
colony witli famine. Jlrs. Gay had some 
acquaintance with the French language, 
and one of the fudiau women spoke it 
fluently. lu future transactions, the 
two acted as interpreters, Mrs. Gay 
translating the Euglish into French ftud 
the Indian woman the French into Indi 
an, the response being conveyed back 
in a si miliar manner, through a double 
translation. 

How much of homesickness there was 
ill the little colony, we are left in a great 
measure to conjecture. It may be re- 
lated on Mrs. Gay's own authority that, 
as for herself, she time and again sat for 
hours by the little grass plot at the ca- 
noe landing, the only place she could 
find that Lad a look of civilization, shed- 
ding tears over her separation from 
the associations of her former home. 
Mrs. Duncan was fortunate enouuh to 
pay a visit to the ladies at Old Mi.s8ion, 
the fall succeeding her arrival at the riv- 
er, but Mrs. Gay whs here more than 
two years before she h.nd the pleasure of 
looking upon the face of a civilized wom- 
an other than the two with whom she 
came. 

It had been Mr, Boardman'e intention 
to throw H dam acroas the Board man 
river, at some point not far below the 
lake, and buili'. a saw mill on that stream 
The convenience of residitg near the 
mill, had been the main consideration 
that determined the location of the block 
house. After a more thorough explo- 
ration of tl e country, however, and an 
estimate of the prol able ditBculties in 
the way of building, he was led to mod- 
ify liii? plan Mil! ("nek, asuiall stream 
that has its sources in the hills to the 
south an 1 west c)f the bay, and enters 
the Boardman at the western angle of 
its bi nd, seemed to offer facilities for 
cheaply building a small mill, that 
should answer present purposes. He 
therefore determined to build on that 
stream, with the intention of erecting 
afterwards a larger and more permanent 
structure on the Boardman. By that 
plan he would have the advantage of the 
small r mill for mbking boards, planks, 
and timbers for the larger, thus avoid 
ing the dilf.c.il y of obtaining from a 
distance the lumber it would tie neces- 
sary to have before a large mill oould be 
put in o condition for service. There 
was L.a pl.ictlt ja.er thau Manistee where 



lumber could be obtained, and the Lady 
of the Lake was too small and too un- 
safe to be relied on for bringing any 
large quantity such a distance. It was 
not easy, at that time, to induce vessel 
masters to enter the bay, which to them 
wae an unexplored sea. 

Immediately after the arrival of the 
carpenters, nil hands were set to work 
npou the mill. The Lady of the Lake 
made a trip to Manistee after plank for 
the flume. When the fnme was ready, 
all the white men at Old Mission and 
several Indians came to help raise it. 
It took three days to get it up. It was 
finally got into a condition to be set run- 
ning about the first of October. Then 
some of the first lioards made were used 
to complete the block- louse, which up 
to that time had remained unfinished. 

It was a long walk from the house to 
the mill. The path from one to the oth- 
er ran along the southwestern bank of 
the Boardman. For convenience of 
reaching it from the house, a foot- bridge 
of poles was thrown across the river at 
tie canoe landing. This slight struc- 
ture was af terwardc replaced by a broad- 
er and firmer bridge, on which wagons 
could cross, t 

*Tlue vepsel t honld n it be raistaten for another 
of the same uaine. in which Lewis Miller returned 
to old Mi^j.-^ion. after liis marriage. 

tin after year? the eaw-mtll was remodeled and 
pnt tiia Viirielyofufce. .41 the pretent tinie(18S:i,) 
it i:' still Btandius, Ijut i^* ttt.occupied. It is known 
among the iniiatitants cf the villape as the '* old 
planing-mill." All vustij^ee of the bridge have 
long since di6:ipp< arel. The remains of the foun- 
(latijLB if LLe block-bouse may still Le seen. 

M. L. L. 

CHAPTER IX. 
The Ladi/ of (he Lake Wreck' d nt the 
Manitowi—Mr. Boardman's Journey 
Home — AriTicly of the Peopte at the 
Jiiver — A Relief Expedition — Oet- 
ti.n(j Dinner Under Difficulties — Be- 
mrjvalfrom the Block House — Mrs. 
Oay Turns Shoemaker — Another 
Woman in the SJt'ement. 
The mill having been completed, and 
there no longer being suitable employ- 
ment for the mechanics who had been 
engaged upon it, it became necessary to 
provide for their conveyance home. It 
was arranged that 5Ir. Boardman should 
take them in the Lady of the Lake to 
the Manitous, where they could get pas- 
1 sage on one of the steamers that weie in 
I the habit of touching there. He would 
then freight his ves-sel with supplies, 
j which he expected to find waiting there, 
j and return. 

j It was Hl>ont the lOlh of October that 
; the Lady of the Lake sailed on this her 
1 last voyage. While waiting for the sup- 
plies, which had not arrived, after land- 
ing her passengers, the little vessel was 
caught in a storm, driven ujpon the 



beach, and totally wrecked. The sup- 
plies came, but Mr. Boardman searched 
in vain for means to transport them to 
Grand Traverse bay. Convinced at last 
that he could accomplish nothing by re- 
maining at the island.", he took passage 
on a stenmer for Mackinac. Here he 
found means to cross to the mainland, 
and then set out on foot on his toilsome 
journey home. His route lay for more 
than a hundred miUs along the beach, 
most ol the way without even a sem- 
blance of a foot-path, and without a civ- 
ilized dwelling, except at the missions 
of Cross Village and Little Traverse, at 
which he could ask for a night's shelter 
or a morsel of food. 

lu the meantime, the people at home 
became alarmed at his long absence. 
Then information reached them, through 
the agency of some fishermen, that the 
vessel was lost. It was late in the sea- 
son. Navigation would soon be closed. 
Something must be done, and done 
quickly. A consultation was held, the 
result of which was an agreement that 
Mr. Oay should go to Old Mission, get 
8 boat there, if possible, and endeavor 
to reach the Manitous and bring away 
such supplies as he might be able to 
find. 

Mrs. Duncan accompanied Mr. Gay 
to Old Mission, for a visit to the ladies 
there. The day after their departure, 
Mrs. Gay and Ann, perhaps not having 
the fear of famine before their eyes, or 
perhaps expecting to pensh with hun- 
ger but believing in the maxim "live 
while you live," resolved to have one 
more good dinner. An examination of 
the larder showed on hand a small sup- 
ply of musty flour, some sour yeast, a 
little maple sugar, and fish enough for a 
meal — not a very promising stock, to be 
sure, out of which to prepare a tempting 
dinner. Among the men was one named 
Joe Mead. Joe had a contract with Mr. 
Boardman to cut logs the next winter. 
To make sure of provisions for his 
hands, he had scoured the country — that 
is, he had been to Old Mission, the only 
settlement in the region, and brought 
back all the supp ies he could ger, the 
chief item of which was a barrel of hogs' 
heads. It was known, too, that Joe bad 
some saleratus among his stores. A 
dinner without meat would be lacking, 
and sour yeast without an alkali would 
not raise musty flour. The women ap- 
plied for a hog's head and a bit of faler- 
atus, but Joe would give them neither, 
so they were fain to make the best of it. 
Lye made of ashes, with the sour yeast, 
served to make the dough light, and 
some of the sugar was converted into 
syrup ; so they had, after all, a respecta- 
ble dinner for the time and place — pan- 
cakes of musty flour, maple syrap, and 
fisb. 



16 



A mSTORT OP THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



The meul was scurcel-y reudy, wbtu 
they were agreeably surprised by the 
arrival of Mr. Boardmaa, foot-sore aud 
exhausted and glad to be again at home. 
At table tears of thankfulness ran down 
bis cheeks, as he partook with a been 
relish of Ihe homely fare they had unin- 
tentionally prepared for him in their ef- 
forts to get up a " good dinner." 

Mr. Gay was sucxsessful in his expedi- 
tion. At Old Mission he obtained the 
little schooner Arrow, her owner, H. K. 
Cowles, with Robert Campbell and sev- 
eral others, volunteering to accompany 
him to the Manitous. Having loaded 
with the supplies, at the latter place, he 
returned in safety, reaching Old Mission 
on Thanksgiving day and the nver on 
the day following. 

It was found that the block-house was 
too far from the mill for convenience. 
After Mr. Gay's return from the Mani- 
tous, he built a small log house, for the 
use of his own family, near the mill. 
Both families, hnwever, and all the 
bands, were accommodated in it for a 
short time, till a small plauk house 
could be built for Mr. and Mrs. Duncan 
and the men. 

On examining the stores brought in 
by the Arrow, it was found that a box 
of boots and shoes intended for winter 
use had been left behind. Only one 
pair of shoes had come, which had been 
ordered expressly for Mrs. Gay, and 
these proved to be not a pair, both of 
them being shaped for one foot. We 
are not informed bow the men managed 
for the winter, but Mrs. Gay resolved 
that the women should not go barefoot. 
Applying to Mr. Boardman, she ob- 
tained permission to use some spare belt 
leather belonging to the machinery of 
the mill for soles, and some heavy gray 
cloth found among the stores for vamps 
and quarters. One of the men made 
her a last. Then ripping to pieces one 
of the useless odd shoes to obtain pat- 
terns, she made a pair each for Mrs. 
Duncan, Ann, and herself. Thongh not 
remarkable for beauty, they proved 
serviceable, and much more comfortable 
than the narrow, high heeled things 
called shoes, that cramp the feet and de- 
form the limbs of fashionable belles 
and make graceful motions in walking 
an impossibility. 

And now the little community was 
shut in for the winter. All connection 
with the great world outside was sev- 
ered, except an irregular and uncertain 
communication by way of Old Mission 
and Mackinac. Many were the inci- 
dents, however, novel, sad, cheerful, 
and ludicrous, that occurred to break 
the mocotony of their hermit-like exist- 
ence. The changes of the weather, the 
"^peculiarities of the climate, the ever 



varying phases of the laud^cape, the 
wonders of the forest, tbe strange beasts 
and birds that visited their dwellings or 
were caplured in the woods, the thou 
sand aud one little things attendant on 
wilderness life in winter, many of them 
of special interest because of their rela- 
tions to the character ol this new and 
interesting country, kept the attention 
engaged and helped to make the time 
pass lightly. Still tliey were glad when, 
at the approach of spring, the snow 
slowly melted away, aud there were in- 
dications that the face of nature was 
aboutjto put on a more cheerful aspect. 
In the summer of 184:8 a small wharf 
was commenced at the shore of the bay, 
aud a tram- way built for tbe purpose of 
transporting lumber to it from the mill. 
The next winter a beginning was made 
towards getting out timber for the con- 
struction of the contemplated large mill 
on the river. Mr. Boardman from time 
to time varied bis business by getting 
out shingle bolts, aud hemlock bark for 
tanning purposes, for the Chicago mar- 
ket. He cleared three or four acres of 
land, and was successful in the cultiva- 
tion of garden vegetables. 

Tbe summer of 18J9 was marked by 
several incidents that added interest to 
the life of the settlement, A man of the 
name of Freeman came, and got out a i 
considerable quantity of hemlock bark 
for shipment, employing Indians to per- 
form most of the labor. The bark, of 
course, was stripped from trees growing 
upon government land. There was no 



clean grass, outside Ihe tent, the com- 
pany sitting round it in oriental fashion. 
The viands consisted of pork aud pota- 
toes, fried, with huckleberries for des- 
sert. The next day Mrs. Rutherford re- 
turned the visit, dining with Mrs. Cay. 
Mrs. Rutherford was partly of Indian 
descent, nevertheless she was regarded 
as an importaut acquisition to the socie- 
ty of the colony. 



CHAPTER X. 
Hannih, Lay & Co. — Mr. Hannah's 
Voyage to Grand 'J'raverse Bay — 
The Vessel Stuck fast on a lioch — 
Mill Men Playing Old Sledge — Ex- 
ploraliijns — A tiatidred Millions of 
JHne — Purchaxe Made — Clearing 
the Boardman — Steam Saw- Milt 
Built — Lumber Camps — Running 
Logs. 

In the month of May, 1850, three en- 
terprising young men, in the city of 
Chicago, entered into partnership, under 
the firm name of Hannah, Lay & Co., 
for the purpose of carrying on the lum- 
bei trade. The names of the partners 
were Perry Hannah, Albert Tracy Lay, 
and Jamts Morgan. Tbe firm opened 
business on the corner of Jackson aud 
Canal strcet-i, buying their stock 63 the 
cargo, in the harbor. 

Early in 1851, they conceived tl.« 
project of having, somewhere, a saw-miil 
of their own for making lumber, thus 
saving to themselves the profit they 
were now paying to the manufacturer. 



Falling in with a man of tbe name of 
one in this remote region whose interest Curtis, one of the mechanics who had 



it was, or who considered it his duty, to 
prevent spoliations of the public prop- 
erty. 

The government had found it neces- 
sary to order a re- survey of the lands in 
the vicinity of the bay. For some time 
the surveyors' camps were pitched in 
the vicinity, the settlement being for 
them a sort of headquarters and base of 
supplies. 

In the employ of Bisdon, one of the 
surveyors, was Henry Rutherford, after- 
wards well known in the settlement, 
having his wife with him. Word was 
brought to the women at the mill, one 
evening, that there was a woman in Ris- 1 
don's camp. The announcement was 
sufficient to produce a flutter of excite- 
ment. Mrs. Duncan had visited the la- 
dies at Old Mission, but Mrs. Gay, 
since her arrival at tbe river, had not 
seen the face of a civilized person of her 
own sex, except the two who had come 
with her. Setting out alone the next 
morning, she found her way to the sur- 
veyors' camp, and spent tbe forenoon 
with Mrs. Rutherford, remaining to din- 
ner in response to a cordial invitation 
from the latter. The cloth was spread 
on the ground, where there was a bit of 



built Mr. Boardman 's mill, they ob- 
tained from him their first knowledge of 
the country on Grand Traverse bay. 
In the meantime the price of lumber 
had gone down to a very low figure. 
Capt. Bui.rdmnu fuund that hi» mill, as 
managed by his son, was i.ot profitable. 
Concluding tl.at it would be wise to 
dispose of the property be proposed to 
sell it to the new firm. 

In the spring, Mr. Hannah, accompa- 
nied by Wm. Morgan aud Capt. Board- 
man, took passage i 1 tbe li'.tle schounex 
Venus, bound t<,r the b ly, for tbe pur- 
pose of viewing the prop. rty. The Ve- 
nus was commanded by Capt. Peter Nel- 
son, a Dane by l)irth, afterwards well 
knowL in the Grand Traverse country, 
for ma;iy years keeper of the light-house 
near Northpurt and now a resident of 
that village. 

Tbe voyage was tempestuous. After 
riding out a gate of ^three days' duration 
on Lake Michigan, they fiunlly entered 
the bay, and made Old j^fs^iqi), bwJtMW 
in pleasant weather. . . , ,,- ,,,^ . 

The scene before them, an tbe vessel 
rounded to in tbe harbor, appeared to 
the tempest-tossed voyagers the loveli- 
est ever beheld by mortal eyes. The 



A HI8TORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



_^ 17 

8un w«8 jast siiikiug be-himl the western { way of escape was to draw her back bv I ere.1 „uA h; ^a 

hills, the whitewashed hou.se« of the i' means of the kedce am-hor Tr , ^^ ' . ^^ ""^^ " °""« °^ ^""^^ 

ludiau village «W.i,.« b„„b.lv i. h,s .arrr/,.' .Sl^'^ll'^^^A''" 

eu root aud was flonrishing on their de- 
caying trunks, that no water could be 
seen. ,Teu long miles of the channel 
had to be cleared, before the first pine 
was reached. With an energy and a 
steadfastuess of purpose that ever after 
marked the transactions of the firm, the 
work was pushed on till logs could be 
ruu down the stream. 

The saw-mill had only a single mnley 
saw. Finding from a few months' expe- 
rience that it was too small and too slow 
tor their purpose, Hannah, Lay & Co 



Indian village Kinamiiig brightly I, his narrow and shallow passage by "which 

parting rays, while the tops of the for- she had entered. Several hours of tedi- 

est trees seemed bathed in a floating ous labor were re(]nired to liberate her 

mist of gold. Outhe bank sat a pictur- i from her ),erilous position. The oa,>- 

esque group of Indian men. enjoying , tain slept ' no more till his vessel was 

the fragrant fumes of the pipe. The i moored to the slab wharf, at the head of 

women were seen engaged in the femi- the bay. 

nine avocations pertaining to their sim- I Tk i ... 

pie mode of life. The sh„uting o a L , the %"'"T " !'' '""'' ^'""^ 

company of chUdren in gleef.il pUv 1 1 T'' "' I'T 'r'^'' ""^ ''^ 

mingled with the sound of Lkling bell ' ZZ tr ""' I . n '•'''" ""'" 

from a herd of ponies feeding o!i the ' clt B , r""^ T^ ''^"' I 

Kill », J 1 J J . .* , ^"P'- Jsoardman keeping well in ad- 

tnll-siue bevond. miide mnsic m hnrm.i ., f b '=■■ '" •>" 

^ "u, m.iue music jn Uaimo- | vance, they soon arrived at the mill 

uy with the quiet beauty of thn scene. - '"ixeu at tue mill 

The restless spirit of the white man had 

not yet brought discontent to these sim- 



ple childrr-n of the forest— the baleful 
effects of the diSitroyiug fire water were 
yet comparatively unknown. 

After remaining two hours at Old 
Mission, the Venus set sail for her des- 
tination, the head of the west arm of the 
bay. The night was beautiful, with a 

glorious moon shining brightly in the 

Leavens. When a mile out, with the 

ves-sel's prow turned towards the north, 

and a gentle breeze from the south fill 

ing her sails, Capt. Nelson, who had 

been worn.out with labor and watching 

f1iirin» th^ 1 J- .• «"«xiuci, yjayi. Dosruman, wbo was now 

uuriug tne ea e, ijave directions tn iho r <, 

blanket, and lay down on the quarter 



deck, to get a little rest. Fatigued 



The miU was not running. On entering [ determined to construct a new one to 
the hou^e, the hands were all found ! be run by steam power. A site was se- 
there amusing themselves with the game j lected on the narrow tongue of land ly- 
of oUJ Sledge After shaking hands ing between the lower part of the river 
all ioiu.d. Cap t. Boardman said to his ; and the bay, where, on one hand, logs 
son. Horace bow is this, that you are , could be floated in the stream directly to 
not running the mill ?" The reply was. I the mill, and. on the other, the lumber 
Fatlier,it was a little rainy to-day ; ^ could be loaded on vessels by being con- 
Tu 'Z\T .T"'""' ""'■'^ -"7 1 veyed only a short distance on trucks, 

well, and they wanted the men in the The project was executed in 1852, and 
mill to make up the number for the , the next year the mill went into success- 
game ; so I concluded to shut down for ful operation * 
a time, in order that they might have a i . , ... 1 

little iun." This easy way of doin</ ' f;'"'"' ^^e first work done in the steam 
business, did not suit the energetic old i I? I '^"^ '" ^^^^ "P '»»« P^^e timber on 

farmer. Capt. Boardman. who was now i ^ ' °r "'"' °'"'"P*^'^ "^ ^^^ 

I village. It was cut into bridge timber, 

' for the Illiu.is Central Railroad Compa- 
ny, who used it for constructing a bridge 



over the Illinois river, at La Salle. 

In those days, the lumber was all car- 
ried across the lake in sail craft. The 
first vessel that carried for the firm, and 
brought in the boilers for the steam mill, 
was the Maria Billiard. No lake sur- 
veys had been made in the region of 
Grand Traverse bay. and the masters of 
vessels were guided more by guess than 
by charts. Amusing anecdotes are told 
of their experiences, one of which we re- 
peat. The Richmond, one very dark 
night, was beating up the bay against a 



After looking over the premises for a 
he was. he seemed to have scarcely more ' l*^' " P"'^* ''^'''^"•"'^ of ^^r. Hannah, 
than touched the deck, when a loud j ^''™<^® Boardman, Mr. Morgan, and a 
snoring indicated that he was in a sound ' ^,'*° ""'"^'^ Whitcher. with packs of 
sleep. The instructions given to the i ^^'"'^"^^ ""^d provisions, set out to ex- 
man at the helm were to hold a north 1 '''°'''' "'*' """"^''-^ a°d examine the tim- 
course till well down past the point of ' "^^ ^'°°^ ""^ Boardman river. At the 
the penineula, and then call the captain ■ ^'^ °^ " "'^^'^' ^^^- Hannah estimated 
before tacking to the west. The kind- "'^' ""^^ '""^ ^^^'^ *' '®''*^ * hundred 
hearted sailor, knowing how hard a time I °"'""'°« ^^et of pine, on government 
the captain had had. aud desiring to i "''^^ *° ^'^®- '^^'^ ^"^ ^ sufficient 

give him all possible opportunity to ";"^"°«'^«°* t° '^e firm to accept Capt. 
rest, could see no reason why he should ^"^Z '^'^'^^'^ P'"? '"'tion to sell them his , 

not guide the vessel round the point as ** '^ '"*"'''"' '" ^^^ Property, consist- . °X'' ^^, , ^ ,, 

there was but little wind and alHooLed j '"« °' '''' '"'"-'""'• '^« «'^«''P "-'dings 'f^ .''';'' ^"'^- ^n attempting to 
clear. As he brought her round at a '"'' ^""^ '''° ''''''^' ""'' '"'°"' t,„ , t^'«k. for some unaccountable reason she 
sufficient distance Syonrtllllt"''''''^''^''"^^ '''"'• "'" " "^^ 

be supposed, sailing 'not moreTauIi^^^^ P'"* -« ""— -i^ 'o-ted. f.^ -"^:'^° >>- f-^he captain was forced 
tril« J„ h ,1 , , , $4,500. reluctantly to let her remain. When 

her bottom on the rocks alarmed all i ^he first work done by the new own- was his surprise to find his vessel lying 
hands, and brought the captain ^^ickly «;«■ ^"^Z" «""«tr„ct a tram-road from olose to a bold, wooded shore with her 
tohisfeet. Then such a chiding as the '^'";'^";' "f 'b« Bor.rdman to the mill. ,„,,«„,t entangled among the trees 
poor sailor received for his disobedi- | «" ^J" \ss floated down the stream, when the pL in the immediate vi- 
enceof orders, i. seldom heard lu any ^''""i '^ bo^'-d out «t th^ bend, and einity of the mill had been worked up 
dialect of the Scandinavian tongue. The --Po^ e^ over land to .he mill, whence H.nnah, Lay A Co. commenced tne sys! 
vessel lay quiet but was stuck f-t. "-J"'-'-. -formerly, could be run ,,^ „,- ,„„^.„,,i.,g „„„„„„ J ^^ 

lT^!J !:TI^^ '^^ """""« '«'=' '^-' I '''""■' ^"^ "''•P'"*"* «''-•""« of northern Michigan, which 

The next task performed, which proved ^^^y have miccessfnlly purBued np to 

K* ..e . .. II - . 1 iL i i- 1 ■ ■ 



her keel rested on a sunken rock, with I 



not less than twenty feet of water all to be one of no small magnitude, was 

round On making further soundings the clearing of the river, so that logs 

from the boat, which was got out for could be floated down from the immense 

the purpose it was found that the rock tracts of pine on the upper waters. It 

on which she re.f*d was situated in a was not merely here and there a fallen 

ri on aVruLTd'ZT'"' ■' r ''t ""' ^ ''" "'"°^^'>- ^° "'""'' ^""'""^ "' -nter. gangs of men were 

on au 8iJee.aad that the only phices the stream was so completely oov- sent into the woods, to establish camp.. 



the present tirae,t giving employment, 
both summer aud winter, to a large 
number of men. 

The Boardman river had been cleared 
as far up as the pine forests. At the be- 



18 



A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRA^^RSE REGION. 



A gaug cousisted of tweuty men, more 
or less, a foreman, or boss, a cook, a 
stable-boss, and perbiips a chore-boy. 
A number of teams, either horses or ox- 
en, were kept at the camp. A house 
was bu Jt of pine logs, large enough to 
accommodate the company. A part of 
the interior, perhaps separated from the 
rest only by a simple railing, constitu- 
ted the special domain of the cook, up- 
on which no one was allowed to tres 
pass. Another part was dovoted to the 
accommodation of the men. Buuks 
were arranged in tiers, one above anoth- 
er, against the wall, for sleeping places. 
A huge stove made the apartment com- 
fortable in the coldest weather. Rough 
benches for seats, and a long table, with 
the plainest and most durable kinds of 
dishes, constituted the bulk of the fur- 
niture. A large stable, built aho of 
logs, afforded shelter for the animals. 
Jro visions for the men and forage for 
the animals, were brought to the camp 
from time to time, during the wintsr, by 
teams employed for the purpose. 

The first faint gleam ot day usually 
found the men at their work, and, excej^t 
for dinner, there was no cessation of la- 
bor till night had again spread her dark 
mantle over tha scene. Some cut down 
the piLe trees,- others divided them with 
the saw into logs of suitable length, and 
others again loaded the logs on huge 
sleds and drew them to the river bank, 
where they were tumbled into the 
stream. When the work of the day was 
done, the teamsters took care of their 
animals, receiving from the stable boss 
the »ations to which they were entitled. 
In the house, wet garments were hung 
up to dry, and every man made himself 
as comfortable as he might without in 
ttuding on his neighbor. When sup- 
per was over, various amusements served 
to while away the time till the hour for 
retiring. Some read, by the light of a 
lamp, such books and papers as they 
couid get, some played cards, chess, or 
checkers, and sometimes a song en- 
livened the spirits of those who sang, if 
not of those who heard. Juke, raillery, 
and repartee passed freely round. If a 
visitor called, he was made welcome and 
hospitably entertained. li a minister of 
the gospel paid them a visit sometime 
in the course of the winter, all amuse- 
ment was laid aside to listen to a sermon 
in the evening, and whon he dejiarted 
the following morning, he was not al- 
lowed to go away empty handed.! 

When spring opened, the camp was 
deserted. The men, except the log- 
drivers, returne d to work in the mill, 
which was now put in operation for the 
season, or went to their several homes. 

It was thebusiness of the log- drivers, 
or river-drivers, as they were sometimes 



called, to run the logs down ihe river to 
the mill. Not uufrequently, at the 
pliice where the logs had been put into 
the stream, the channel was filled with 
them from bank to bank to a great 
height. To break this "jam," or loosen 
the logs so that they would be carried 
away by the current, which was usually 
stroug from the melting of the snow at 
this season, involved no small amount of 
labor, and was sometimes dangerous. 
When the logs were all finally afloat in 
the stream, the drivers followed them 
down, pushing off those that stranded 
on the shore, and breaking the tempora- 
ry "jams" that formed wherever ob- 
structions were met with. Frequently 
the men rode considerable distances on 
the floating logs, keeping their po.sition 
by the aid of sharp spikes in the thick 
soles of their boots, and by balancing 
themselves with their long pike poles 
At night they slept in temporary camps 
on the bank of the river, to which sup- 
plies were conveyed for their use. 

* This mill is now known as the Company's old 
8aw-mill. 

+ 18S3. 

JThis brief description of a lumber camp, has 
beon wiitteti no from personal recolh-Ltious of a 
vi -it the \vi-iter made to one of Hannah. Lay & 
Co's camps on the Boardman, ny invitation of the 
foreman, v. m. Rennie, in the winter of 1660-61. 
That same winter, Kev. J. W. Robinson, the 
raethodist minister at Traverse City, visited Mr. 
Rennie'e camp. The men of two camps came 
together in the evening tolisten to a sermon, and 
made up a handsome purse for Mf. Robinson, as 
a token of their appreciation of his imereet in 
their welfare. _^ 

CHAPTER XI. 

A^etv Partners in ihe Firin of Hannah, 
Lay & Co. — Mr. Lay and Mr. Han- 
nah Live at the B:iy Aliernatebj — 
The First Store — Boardinfj- House 
Built — Names of Early Settlers — 
Mill Built at East Bay — First Boad 
02'}ened — Post office Established — 
Hoiv Ann Dakin Carried the Mail 
— Amusements — Henrietta Baxter s 
Adventures — First Marriages. 
In 1852 a fourth partner, Mr. Wm. 
Morgan, who Lad accompanied Mr. 
Hannah on his prospecting tour, was re- 
ceived into tbe firm of Hannah, Lay & 
Co. Afterwards, in 1859, Mr. Smith 
Barnes, a former resident of Port Hu- 
ron, was admitted to partnership in the 
mercantile department, but without any 
connection with the lumber trade. 

Mr. Fiaucis Hannah, a brother of the 
member of the firm, came to the bay in 
the fall of 1851, with a view to becoming 
a partner. After spending the winter 
in the settlement, he concluded that the 
financial advantages of a connection with 
the firm would not be a snflicieut com- 
pensation for the seclusion of a life in 
the wilderness, and finally declined the 
proffered partnership. While there, he 
had charge of the business of the firm. 



After Francis Hannah retired from 
the employ of the firm, Mr. Lay and 
Mr. Hannah for several years took turns 
in the management of the business at 
the bay and in Chicago, Mr. Lay re- 
maining at the former place during the 
summer and Mr. Hannah iu Chicago, 
the two changing places for the winter. 
Finally the oversight of their interests 
was permanently divided between them, 
Mr. Hannah residing constantly in Trav- 
erse City, qud Mr. Lay iu Chicago. 

From the Commencement of their 
business at the bay, they kept a small 
stock of goods for supplying the wants 
of persons in their employ. Their first 
store was kept in a log building, six- 
teen feet long and twelve wide, that 
ptood by the side of the old Boardman 
boarding-house, near the water mill on 
Mill creek. From that they removed to 
a small frame building, erected for the 
purpose, on the north side of the river, 
just east of what is now the corner of 
Bay and Union streets. In order to 
make room for a larger structure, as 
businef'S increased, the building was af- 
terward moved to the north side of Bay 
street, opposite the Bay House, and was 
for many years used as a tin shop. A 
lady who went shopping to this building 
in 1853, described the stock as consist- 
ing of "a few pieces of calico, and just 
dry goods enough to supply the little 
community." 

After the erection of the steam saw- 
mill, it was found convenient to have 
some place near it, where those em- 
ployes of the film who were without 
families could be accommodated with 
board anJ lodging. Accordingly a 
boarding-house was commenced in the 
spring of 1854, and by the last of Au- 
gust was so far advanced as to be habit- 
able. The original building with its 
subsequent additions, occupied a site on 
the south side of Bay street, a short 
distance west of the corner of Bay and 
Union streets, and, at the time of the 
present writing, is kept as a hotel by 
Wm. Fowle and known as the Bay 
Hou.se. 

A saw mill io the depths of a wilder- 
ness previously unbroken, built only 
with a view to the profit arising from 
the manufacture of lumber where laud 
and timber were cheap, has often turned 
out to be the nucleus around which 
thriving settlements have grown up. 
In the case before us, the modest enter- 
prise undertaken by Capt. Boardman 
and his son, and afterwards greatly en- 
larged and energetically pu.shed by 
Hannah, Lay & Co., proved to be the 
laying of the foundation for a populous 
and thrifty community. 

The names of all who came to the new 
settlement in an early day, have not 
been preserved. Some remained only 



A HISTORY OF THE GKAND TRAVEESE REGION. 



19 



a bbort time, aud then reluiued to tbe 
places wheuce they came, or wauderetl 
to other parts ; others iileutitied tlieui- 
selves with the iuttrests of the commu- 
uity, and iieciime permaueut citizeus. 
At the Betting in of wiuter, iu 1851, 



the following families are known to have I nearest themselves. 



so conveniently near, and all could see 
that connectiou of the settlements by 
means of a passable road would be a 
public advaiitiige. The iuhubitauts of 
each settlement, by voluntary contribu- 
tions of labor, built the half of the road 



been iu the settlement: Michael Guy's 
John Lalie's. Henry Rutherford's, Beu- 
jauiiu Austin's, T. D. Ilillery's, Wm. 
Voice's, Seth Norris's, Robert Potts's, a 
family named Barnes, a German family 
whose name has been forgotten, aud au 
old couple of the name of liOwery. The 
following naaies of unmarried persons, 
residents at that time, have been pre- 
served : Henrietta Baxter, wlio after- 
wards becf.me Mrs. J. K. Giinlou, Cath- 
erine Carmichael, sister to Mrs. Hillery 
and afterwards wife of H. D. Campbell, 
Dominic Dunn, Wm. Rennie, Ciiyler 
Germniue, Dougald Carmichael, brother 
to Mrs. Hillery and Catherine, James K. 
Gnuton, and Richard Meagher. Fran- 
cis Hannah was also there, having charge i ^jissiou^ 
of the business of Hannah, Lay & Co. 
D. C. Curti.'i, foreman 
the firm, Thomas C 
out as engineer, to take charge of the 



Ul) to 1853, the postofflce at Old Mis- 
sion was the only one in a vast region of 
country around the bay. Iu tbe winter 
of 1852 aud '53, Mr. Lay, while iu Wash- 
ington, was successful in his effort to 
get one eslablislied in the new setile- 
meut. The name of the one at Old Mis- 
sion was Grand Tiaver.se. The new set- 
lli-mcnt at the bead of the bay was be- 
ginning to l)e known as Grand Traverse 
City. When Mr. Lay proposed the lat- 
ter name for tbe new postjffice, the 
clerk with whom he was transacting tbe 



culiar. Most of the married people were 
young. The unmarried men were intel- 
ligent, moral, and well disposed, but 
bent on having their full share of sport. 
As not. unlrequently happens in border 
settlements, where the male population 
is apt to greatly outnumber that of the 
gentler sex, their recreations sometimes 
assumed a somewhat mischievous char- 
acter. 

On New Year's night, in the winter of 
1851 aud '52, "the boys" determined to 
amuse themselves by waking up, in a 
startling manner, the more sedate citi- 
zens. Secretly collecting all the fire- 
arms, they f juud they could muster 
thirteen guns. With these they went 
round to several of tbe houses, tiring 
volleys under the windows, to the utter 
consternation of the more timid inmates, 



business suggested that "Grand" be | who, living in constant fear of a hostile 
droi)ped, and it be called simply Trav- ' visit from the M .r.nous, Ibougbt their 
erse City, as the name; would have less ' dreaded enemy was upon them, 
esemblauce to that of the office at Old 



to which Mr. Lay acceded. 



f O ! — ' geuce auu luicueaa lo «Liiv 

Hannah, Lay ii CO. : ^^^^3 Qjigi^ated the name subsequently j^^^j ^^^^^ ^^^^^ ,,je ^^^^ 
m lu the employ of I ^^^^^ ^^ ^ thriving village. , jj^ Baardmau's enterprise 

utler, who had come I i i , , t xi i j- i „ „ 



out as engineer, to lane cuaige oi mc . . ,„ ,-,-^ t -nr ■ l 

^ , .,. T ^ ^ t. ' coming to Traverse City from Manistee, 

enyine of the steam sawmill about to be I , _y ., r. . i ^ i- 

eugmt Oi n c- I I ^j^ j^ ^^g jj^g g^^^ contractor, his 

built, and John B. Spencer, who was ; •' , 

' , , ii II 1 i compensation being §400 per year. At 

eetting out saw-logs for the mill and '. . , - ,, , 

geiiiug out. " e , , I first It was earned by an Indian, called 

timber for building a dock, ond who ].,,., i i • i ^„i i^... 

, "^ , J,, „ ., ! Old Joe, in a pack upon his shoulders. 

800U afterwards removed to Elk Uapids. i . ■ , -., x „„'o ^„.. 

, , . ., ■ , xi c 1 1 Before the expiration of Mr. Lay s con- 

Thomas Cullers family an ived the tol- "^ ..-,.1. -t ^ ,. 

iuomao v/ui c r , , . ,„-„ ! tract, however. the ouantitv of mail mat- 

lo wing year. There arrived also in 1852, ' . / i .^ „ i ,i f„ 

'" ^ J CO.. ! ter had so increased that a horse had to 



d and two men 01 lue name , , , ti , i,i /-i • n 

. , Reemployed. Hugh MeGinnis was then 
th families, and, unmarried, '^, •' . , ^ 4 , i . 



John Garland and two men of tbe name 
of Evans, wi 

Henry D. Campbell, Thomas A. Hitch 
cock, B. McLellan, aud Hugh McGin- 
nis. Dr. Charles llolton and wife came 
either in the spring of 1852 or tbe fall 
previou.s. Dr. D. C. Goodale, with his 
family, arrived in April, 1853. * 

Many of tbe persons named came for 



engaged as carrier, who cut out a trail as 
far as Herring creek, the first move iu 
road-making between Traverse City aud 
1 the lake shore. 

I Dr. Goodale was appointed postmas- 
' ter, who chose H. D. Campbell as as- 
sistant. Dr. Goodale continued to hold 



M>inv of tbe persons nameu came lor 1 ,„ , t- 1 • 1 .,„ f„ 

- '^ . , , . the office till after Lincoln 8 election to 

the purpose of entering tbe employ of ; . , , ■ ,1 r 

'' F"'l'" ■-- " '. . t ,M nrB>iiilt.n<ir w len in tbe Course of 



Card playing and the habits of negli- 
gence and idleness to which it leads, 

that made 

uusuccess- 

The mail was carried once a week, ful. In the boarding hou-e of Hannah, 

Lay & Co. it was strictly prohibited. 
Mr. Lay was the first contractor, his [ Some of the young men, however, were 

not to be easily deprived of a favorite 
pastime. At Austin's they fouud a con- 
venient rendezvous, where card playing 
and general hilarity, though the latter 
was sometimes a little boisterous, were 
not considered out of order. Michael 
Gay could play the fiddle, after a fash- 
ion. Usually as often as once in two 
weeks his services were put iu requisi- 
tion, the ladies, martied and single, 
were invited, and music and dancing, 
neither of them, perhaps, of the most 
polished kind, served to while away an 
evening. J 

It is not to be supposed that flirta- 
tions, love makings, and couitships, 
generally understood to be normal ac- 
companiments of social parties iu fash- 
ionable life, .fljurisbediu a society where 
tbe men outnumbered the women three 
or four to one, and. where nearly all of 
j the latter were married, yet t)ie meet- 
ings at Austin's were not without their 
romance. Jim Guntou, as he was fa- 
miliarly called, seems to have been the 
sly dog of the pack. Henrietta Baxter 
lived at Austin's. While bis compan- 
ions, deep in the attractions of euchre 
or old sledge, wore oblivious of all things 
around them, Jim, fully awake to the 
main chance, fouud opportunities to 
whisper unobserved in the maiden's 
ear that which sometimes deepened the 
blush on her cheek. Ere the wiuter had 
in fultiliment of an agreement between sue was accus.omea .0 c«.., » =»...... jt became known that there waa 

the inhabitants of the two places, en- sung over over her shouder,,n which ^^ ^ ' .^^^^ „, ^,,,i„ge. 
tered into, probably, at the raising of she brought back the mail for tbe settle- "*" » 8 , , , , „ 

1: , , u rr, „ . „ „ i„ ,.r mont Henrietta was tbe daughter of a Mor- 

Boardman 8 saw-mill. The people at mi ut. , , , 7 nr.- n.... 

Old Mi.s8ion were pleased to have a mUl The society of the settlement was pe- ' mou lady, who was a widow. Mis. Bax- 



Hanuah, Lay & Co., and most of them 
were, at one time or another, engaged iu 
some capacity iu the service of the firm. 
Mr. Voice, who had been in the country 
before, contemplated, in connection with 



the presidency, when, in tbe course of 
events incident to a change of adminis- 
tration, he was removed t 

Previous to the establishment of tbe 
postoffice at Traverse City, whenever 



Lis partner, Luther Scotield, the build- 1 any one had occasion to visit Old Mis- 
ing of a saw-miU at East Bay, a project siou, he was expected to bring, on his 



return, whatever mail matter 'vas found 
I waiting iu the post< ffice there. Ann 



which was soun after carried into suc- 
cessful execution. , 

The population of tbe Beltlcment was j Dakin, a woman employed in the board 
yet small. They were surrounded and | ing-house, hud relatives at that place. 



shut iu by au almost impenetrable wil 
deruess. But few improvements not de 



whom she frequently visited. Being 
strong of frame and a pedestrian of 



manded by tbe immediate exigencies of great endurance, she thought nothing of : 
the lumber trade, had been attempted. [ walking to Old Mission at the end of a 
Only one public road— that from tbe i week's labor, returning iu time to enter 
bead of the bav to Old Mission— had j promptly upon the duties of the follow- 
been opened. This road had been made iug week. On these visits to her friends. 
in fultiliment of an agreement between she was accustomed to carry a satchel 



20 



A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



ter had been inveigled into ioining her 
fortunes with those of the Mormons of 
Beaver Island, only to fiud, in a short 
time, her property held fust in the clutch- 
es of the authorities of the Mormon 
church. The situation on the island for 
young, unmarried women, not in full 
sympathy with the peculiar doctrines 
and practices taught by Strang and his 
associates, was iar from pleasant. Hen 
rietta found employment in the family 
of James Cable, a "Gentile"' living on 
the island, between whom and the Mor- 
mons there existed a strong dislike, if 
not a bitter hatred. In common with 



ing. In the mean time, the "boys" at 
the head of the bay prepared to give the 
newly married couple a rousing eAarij;ar< 
on their return, watching for them in 
vain till late into the night. Wlieu they 
finally did return, the next day, the is 
suing of a general invitation to a party 
at Austin's in the evening turned the 
contemplated charivari into a more civ- 
il and more enjoyable infair, the first 
ever held in what is now Traverse City. 
The first marriage in which the cere- 
mony was performed within the limits 
of Ihe settlement, was that of Jame.'- 
Lee and Ann Dakiu, which took place 



some of the "Gentiles " with whom she | probaby, in 18.53. Wm. M. McKelhp, a 



was associated, she at length became 
alarmed for her personal safety. Her 
fears, in their full extent, mar not have 
been well-founded. Be that as it may, 
she resolved to take advantage of the 
first opportunity to escape. One day a 
vessel touched at the wharf. Though 
its destination was to her unknown, she 
determined, if possible, to get on board, 
and take the chances of reaching a desir 
able haven. As the vessel was about to 
sail, she took in her hand a bundle of 
such personal effects as she conld carry, 
and started on a run towards it. Before 
reaching it, however, she was intercept- 
ed by some of the Mormons, who took 
away her bundle, after which she was al- 
lowed to proceed, glad to get ofif the isl 
and, even with nothing but the garments 
upon her person. TUe next port at 
which the vessel touched was. Old Mis- 
sion, where the fugitive was stt on 
shore. Living in the vicinity of Old 
Mission was a family of Mormons of the 
name of Bowers, who, it was understood, 
had in some way incurred the displeas- 
ure of Strang and his associates, and had 
consequently been compelled to leave 
the island. In this family Heniietta 
found a home. From Bowers' she came 
to the head of the bay, where she found 
employment in the family of Austin, 
who also was known as a Mormon exile. 



justice of the peace, officiated. § 

The first white child born at Traverse 
City, was Josephine Gay, daughter of 
Michael Gay, afterwards Mrs. Neil Mor- 
rison. The date of her birth was May 
15, 1849. 

• To some readers the mlnate jiersonal details 
in this and precediuc; chapters, as well av similar 
cues to follow, will, no doubt, seem dry and unin- 
teresting, but lor the old setllers, nianv of whom 
still remain, ac well as for their descendants and 
friends, th ■}■ w'll po.-sess pjcuiiar attractions, and 
cannot be omitted. M. L. L. 



As Henrietta regarded Bowers' house 
as her home, it was arranged that the 
marriage rite should be pt-rformed there, 
Rev, Mr. Dougherty to tifficiate. For a 
wedding party to get there in the depth 
of winter, was not easy. The best prep- 
aration Mr. Guuton could make, , was to 
procure from the Indians of Old Mission 
two roughly made pungs, each drawn 
by a diminutive, shaggy, half-starved 
Indian pony. One pung was intended 
for the conveyance of himself and bride ; 
the other for Mr. and Mrs. Austin. It 



t Dr. David C. Goodale was born in Waybridge, 
Vt., Nov. 10, 1809. In June, 18-35, he traduated in 
the medical college at Caetleton, which at that 
time stood in the front rank of the medicul 
schools of the country. Soon aft' r graduating, he 
married Miss Iharlotte Isabella rheney. and 
commenced pri ctice ui I'anton. lie «as for 
many years sccreturj of the Addison county mi'd- 
ical society, and took an honorable place in the 
ranks of the profession. During the political cam- 
paign of 18:i9-40 he published the Oree7i Uuuntain 
Argus. He came west iu the tall of 18.V3. On re- 
moving to the Grand Tru\tr-e country, he deter- 
mined 10 give up practice, but the needs of the 
settlement induced him to reconsider hie deter- 
mination. For maLV years he was the only physi- 
cian iu the vicinity of Traverse City. His death 
occurred Nov. 13, ISrS. M. L. L. 

t Austin lived in a log house on or near the 
present site of the Occidental hotel. Unless there 
was a family living in the block-house, hie was 
the only one on the east sice of the river at that 
time. M. L. L. 

I This was not Hon. James Lee. now living in 
Traverse City The James Lee here spoken of 
left the country with hie wife soon after their 
marriage. _ M L. L. 



CHAPTER XII 

First Deaths Foryottt n Graves — 

First Religvjus Services — Jiev. D. 

E. Latham Methodist Work 

First Methodi.st Clans at Old Mis- 
sion — Class Organized at Traverse 
City — Privations and Hardships of 

Early Fione^r Preachers A 

Friendly Owl. 
There is something peculiarly sad in 

the contemplation of deatb occurring in 



our christian civilization, the churol 
and the christian ministry. 

In the winter of 1852 and '53, a young 
man was accidentally killed at the camj 
on the Boardman. Early iu the follow- 
ing sucnmer, another young man was 
taken sick m the boarding house. He 
was kindly cared for, under the super- 
vision of Mr. Lay, and attended by 
young Dr. Holton, who, though em- 
ployed in the store of Hannah, Lay & 
Co., gave his attention, when called on, 
to the few cases of sickness occurring in 
tbe settlement. Comfortable quarters 
were provided for the sick man in the 
old Boardman boarding house, at MUl 
creek, where, after lingeriuj; for a few 
days, he passed away. A little later iu 
the season, a vessel came into the har- 
bor, having on boaid a family, in desti- 
tute oircum.stances, of the name of 
Churchill. Mrs. Churchill was taken 
ashore dangerously sick, and, tliough 
everything that kindness could suggest 
was done by the women as nurses and 
Dr. Goudale as physician, she lived only 
a few days. The three early victims of 
death were buried on the sandy plain, 
not far from the margin of the bay. A 
thriving village has extended its streets 
and buildings above their forgotten 
graves, all tiaces of which have long 
since disappeared. Uncunscious of the 
daily tread of the busy throng above 
their humble resting place, iney await, 
we may hope in peace, the summons 
that shall bid them, like Lazarus, oome 
forth to a new and a higher life. 

At the burial of the unfortunate young 
man accidentally kiUed, there was no 
funeral service. At the burial of the 
one who died of disease, religious serv- 
ices were conducted by R v. H. C. Soo- 
field, a young baptist minister, who was 
residing for a time at East Bay, in 
charge of the business in which his 
brother, Mr." Luther Scofield, was a 
partner. At the funeral of Mrs. Church- 
ill, Mr. Lay read the episcopal burial 
Service at the grave. There is a tradi- 
tion, not well authenticated, that Mr. 
"Whitcher, who was eaily in the employ 
of Mr. Boardman, sometimes conducted 
religious services for the benefit of the 
men, but the funeral of the joung man 
at the old boardiug-house, is the earliest 
occasion, so far as we have reliable 
proof, on which such services were ever 
had in Traverse City. 

The several deaths occurring so near 
together, produced, perhaps, a feeling 
of solemnity in the community, and a 



was the intention to re turn to Austin's at a small and isolated community, cut off! desire on the part of some at least for 



night, but the ponies were slow, the \ from the sympathy of the great, kindly 
roads in plaoes were almo.st impassable j tbrobbiug heart of the world of humani- 
from drifted snow, and it proved to be \ ty, and separated, it may be, from the 
all they could do to reach Bowers' in the i religious consolations that come through 



regular religious services. Mr. Scofield 
consented to preach. An appointment 
was made for a certain Sunday, at the 
log house which had been fitted up for a 



course of the day, not to think of return- the agency of those noble institutions of ' school house. Mrs. Goodale, who took 



A HISTORY OP THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



21 



an uctive iuterest iu the matter, weut 
roDDd aud gave uotice to the iieople. 

To some of the restdeuts a religious 
meetiug wsu, a uovelty. Tbe cbildreu 
who atteiid«d weut to it with sometbiug 
of the feeliug of expectaut curiosity with 
wbicb tbey would bave visited a travel- 
ing sbow. Au amusing incideut, pre- 
served in memory by some who were 
present, illustrates tbis fact. Wbile Mr. 
ScoBeld was offering an earnest opening 
prayer, two boys watcbed bim vtry at- 
tentively. As be pronounced tbe umeu, 
one of tbem, witb a comical look, gave 
bis compauion a puucb, and said, so 
loud that all in tbe bouse could bear, 
•'There didu't I tell you amen would be 
the last word be would say?" 

Mr. Scofield preached a few times dur- 
ing tbe summer of 1853. After that, 
there was no stated religious service at 
any point iu tbe Grand Traverse region 
till Juue, 1857, except at the several 
Indian mission stations. 

A letter, written by some person in 
the vicinity of Old Mission to a friend 
in northern New York, saying that there 
was no clergyman in northern Michigan 
and asking where one coulj be obtained, 
attracted the attention of Rev. D. R. 
Latham, a young local preacher recenily 
licensed by tbe M. E. Church. Mr. 
Latham bad just determined to go to 
Kansas. Thinking that now was per- 
haps tbe last opportucity he might have 
of seeing the great lakes, he resolved to 
go by the lake route, and visit on bis 
way the destitute communities referred 
to in the letter. Finding encourage- 
ment at Old MissioQ, be resolved to re- 
main there, and accordingly sent for 
Mrs. Latham, who joined her husband 
early in October. 

Mr. Latham began to preach regular- 
ly at Old Mission on tbe 2l8t of June, 
1857. The services were held in the 
mission church, nbieh had been occu- 
pied by Mr. DcugLerty previous to bis 
removal to the west side of the bay. 
The first class-meeting was held on tbe 
19th of July, and tbe first class was or- 
ganized on tbe following Sunday. Tbis 
first church organization for white peo- 
ple on Grand Traverse bay, consisted of 
the following persons : Roxaua Pratt, 
Eliza Merrill, Mary A. Wait, Jane Chan- 
dler, Myron Chandler, Peter Stewart 
and Joanna Stewart. The next Sunday 
two others were added — Charles Avery 
and Catherine McCluskey. Tbe same 
day on which (he class was formed, a 
Sunday school was organized, of which 
Jerome M. Pratt was superintendent. 
Tbe teachers were Miss Louisa Culburn, 
(who was afterward Mrs. S. E. Wait,) 
aud Mr. Latham. 

The congregation sometimes present- 
ed tbe scene of a cLriuua mixtuie of 



races and classes of people, and uf au 
assortment of costumes that to one hav- 
ing a keen sense of tbe ludicrous might 
have been sufficient to banish all 
thoughts of devotion. The U. S. reve- 
nue cutler Michigan sometimes an- 
chored iu tbe harbor aud remained over 
Sunday, when some of the sailors and 
m.-.riue8 would attend service in tbe 
church. Old Mission still had a consid- 
eralile Indian population. Oue Indian 
used to attend, wearing a large silver or 
nameut suspended from tbe cartilage of 
the nose. Anotlier, Asa-bun, who was 
credited with having been teen eating a 
human heart toru from one of the vic- 
tims who fell iu tbe uufortunate attempt 
of the Americans tr) recapture Mackinac, 
in the war of 1812, was sometimes pres- 
ent. Another, the chief Aish qua gwon- 
a-bii, who was supposed to have a num- 
ber of white scalps safely hidden away 
in a certain old trunk, used to come, in 
warm weather, clad in only a shirt and 
breech-cloth, aud sit through the serv- 
ice as stiff aud sober as an old time dea- 
con. 

la tbe coarse of the summer, Bev. W. 
H. Brockway, on some sort of an expe- 
dition, found his way from the southern 
jjart of the state up through tbe woods 
to Old Mission, and falling in with Mr. 
Latham persuaded bim to join the Mich- 
igan conference. As there wae no quar- 
terly conference at Old Mission to give 
the necessaiy recommendation, Mr. 
Brockway took his church letter to some 
Indian mission farther south, probably 
the one iu Isabella county, where he 
was formally recommended to tbe annu- 
al conference. As he bad not been ex- 
amined, however, he could not be ad- 
mitted. The next year, 1858, he attend- 
ed in person, and passing the prelimina- 
ry examination, was received into tbe 
conference on trial. 

At tbe annual conference of 1857, two 
circuits were fotmed on Gi-and Traverse 
bay— Old Mission and Elk Eapids, ahd 
Northport and Traverse City. Mr. 
Latham was to supply the former, aud 
Rev. L. J. Giiffin was appointed to the 
latter. On learning the relative situa- 
tions of Northport aud Traverse City — 
forty miles apart— Mr. GrifBu wrote Mr. 
T<utham, asking him to take Traverse 
City off his hands, which he consented 
to do. Mr. Griffin labored at Northport 
aud Carp River, lormiug classes at tho.-e 
places, and Mr. Latham at Old Mission, 
Traverse City, aud Elk Rapids. 

The first quaiterly meeting of the cir- 
cuit of which Jlr. Latham was now tbe 
regularly appointed | astor, was held at 
Old Mirsiou, the presiding elder, Rev. 
H. Peufleld, being present. J. M. Pratt 
had been appointed class leader, aud 
was the only official member on the cir- 



cuit; the quaiteily conference therefore 
consisted of only three — the presiding 
elder, the pastor, and tbe class leader. 
It is said that in making out tbe official 
list Mr. Latham made the nominations, 
Mr. Pratt did tbe voting, and the pre- 
siding elder declared tbe result. 
I The flist metbodist class in Traverse 
' City was organized by Mr. Latham on 
: the 11th day of April. 1858, cousi^ting 
of Wm. Fowle, Mrs. Goodale, and five 
others. The meetings were held in the 
district scboolbouse, which bad recently 
been built. 

At that time Mr. Latham taught 
school at Old Mission duiiug the week, 
preached there on Sunday morn ug, 
walked to Traverse City and preached 
in the evening, and then walked back to 
I Old Mission iu the night. A circum- 
stantial account of one of those night 
jourueys will illustrate the hardships 
and dangers that attended the labors of 
the pioneer preachers of those early 
days. 

On the evening of the 14th of March, 
1858, Mr. Latham preached at Traverse 
City as usual, going home witb Mr. 
Hannah, at the close of the service, for 
refreshments. After partaking of a 
lunch, he started for Old Mission. As a 
considerable distance could be saved by 
going diagonally across the bay on the 
[ ice to Bowers' Haibor, he determined to 
take that route. Mr. Hannah walked 
withliim to tbe beach, and at parting 
cautioned him to keep away from tbe 
' shore, as the ice near it was becoming 
rotten and dangerous. When about two 
miles on bis way, a dense fog came on, 
hiding the shore from view. Some In- 
dians were having a dance, near the 
mouth of the river, in Traverse City, and 
1 the sound of their drum could be distinct- 
ly heard. Taking it for a guide, he went 
j forward, walking in tbe direction oppo- 
I site the sound. In due time he reached 
tbe island. Finding himself near the 
shore, he recollected Mr. Hannah's cau- 
tion, aud kept away, hoping that by tak- 
ing a circuitous route through tbe harbor 
be could strike the shore at Mr. Bow- 
ers' bouse. In making tbe attempt he 
became completely bewildered, and, to 
make matters worse, tbe density of the 
fog increased till all objects were hidden 
from view. He knew that there were 
several dangerous fissures iu the ice in 
that part of the bay, and that farther 
down, in the vicinity of New Mission, 
there was open water. It is not a cause 
of wouder that his anxiety to get on 
shore rapidly increased. After traveling 
a long time, he beard what he took to be 
tbe barking of a dog, aud turned his 
steps iu the direction of the sound. As 
he came nearer the place wl.euce the 
souud proceeded, the Larking of the 
dog gradually changed to tbe hooting of 

6 



22 



A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



an owl. Bat eveu tbe bootiug of au owl 
had a cheering ioflueDce. He kaew 
that tbe owl must be on land, and, anx- 
ious to get on shore anywhere, he took 
bim for a guide, and pressed forward. 
It now began to rain, but there was this 
relief — as the rain began to fall, tbe fog 
began to clear away. In a little while, 
be could discern the faint outline of the 
Bbore, Fatigued with bis toilsome walk, 
be stopped to rest a moment and survey 
tbe situation, when, glancing over his 
sboul.ler, he discovered a light in the 
distance. Thanking God, he moved 
with new courage towards tbe light. 
But now a new danger presented itself. 
Suddenly, while still a quarter of a mile 
from the shore, he came into water two 
feet deep, on the surface of the ice. 
Shouting loudly for help, he was cheered 
by anssveriug shouts and tbe firing of 
guns from an Indiau camp on the shore, 
Bome distance from the light, while the 
faithful owl, as if cognizant of the situa- 
tion and desirous of rendering assistance, 
kept up his hooting. With the Indians, 
tbe owl, and the light for guides, and 
with the dim and shadowy outline of 
the shore in view, be moved slowly and 
cautiously forward, carefully feeling his 
way, till he found himself on solid 
ground, and was received within the 
hospital walls oi a human habitation. 



CHAPTEE XIII. 
The First Sundai/ School In, Traverse 
at}/ — The Children After Huckle- 
berries — Further Sunday School 
History — The First Schoolhouse 
and the Fit st Schoolma'am — Later 
Schools — A School on Board a Fjs- 
»el. 
The first Sunday-school in Traverse 
City, was begun in June, 1853, in the 
little log schoolhouse to be hereafter de- 
scribed. It was under the supervision 
of Mr. Scofield, assisted by Mrs. Good - 
ale. Mr. Lay encouraged tbe enterprise 
by his presence and approval, and Miss 
Scofield, afterwards Mrs. John Black, 
usually came with her brother, though 
all the teaching was done by Mr. Sco- 
field and Mrs. Goodale. There was no 
necessity, however, for a numerous 
corps of teachers, as there were only 
eight pupils in the school. Only two of 
these had ever been in Sunday-school 
before. There were no Sunday-school 
books or papers or singing- books — noth- 
ing but the bible. It is related that on 
one occasion, the four persons assem- 
bled at the schoolhouse, and waited in 
vain for the children, who failed to ap 
pear. At length, Mrs. GooJi lo, perhaps" 
having a correct suspicion of the cause 
of their absence, proposed that ber com- 
panions should wait, while she should 
go out and look for them. She found 



them not far off, picking and eating 
huckleberries, their bands and faces all 
stained with the purple juice, in which 
condition she managed to gather them 
into the schoolhouse. On questioning 
the children as to what the parents knew 
concerning tbeir doings, it came out that 
tbe latter had all gone out for a boat 
ride. 

At the approach of cold weather in the 
fall, the Sunday school was closed. The 
next summer it was reopened, but lack- 
ing the support of Mr. Lay and Mr. 
Scofield, neither of whom was in tbe 
settlement, it was soon abandoned. 
Sometime afterwards, Mr. Lay's motuer 
sent eighty volumes of Sunday-school 
books to Traverse City. 

The next attempt at ^Sundiiy -school 
work was made iu the fall of 1S58, and 
proved successful. Tbe tessioua of the 
school were held iu the new district 
schoolhouse. It does not appear that 
there was a regular superinteudeut, but 
Bev. W. W. Juhusou, sucoessor',of Rev. 
D. R. Latbam as pastor of the M. E 
churcli at Old Mission and Traverse 
City, and presiding elder of the newly 
formed Grand Traverse district, who 
preached iu the schoohlouse every alter- 
nate Sunday moruiup, took charge ol 
the school when present. The teachers 
were Mrs. Oscar Stevens, Mrs. Jacob 
Barns, Mrs. Hathaway, Mrs. Goodale, 
and, later. Miss Belle Hannah. At tbe 
opening session, Mr. Johnson prayed, 
"Lord, send some one to help the wom- 
en." To these engaged in the work, it 
was a pleasing circumstance that among 
the children gatheied into the school 
were all of the eight pupils who had con- 
stituted the classes in the log school- 
house, five years before. 

In 1859 the school was prosperous. 
Mr. E. L. Sjirague was superintendent. 
In the spring Mrs. Goodale and Miss 
Hannah collected, in four hours time, 
partly from tbe men employed in the 
mill, about $30, for the purchase of 
books. That year the school took four 
Sunday- school papers, published by lour 
aiti'eient deuomiLatiuus. Three were 
paid for by the school, and Mr. Sprague 
donated the fourth. As at that time the 
postage on papers had to be paid at (he 
oifice of delivery. Dr. Goodale relieved 
the school of that item of expense by as- 
suming it himself. 

.This Sunday-school seems to have 
been truly non-sectarian and undenom- 
inational, members of several churches 
and persons not members < f any church 
working harmoniously together. It was 
thi.- part-nt of the seveial dcnomiuatioiial 
Sut day-schools that have since graced 
Traverse City. 

Dr. Goodale, recently from Vermont, 
whose arrival at Traverse City in the 
spring of 1853 has already been noticed. 



had come to keep the boarding-house of 
Hannah, Lay & Co. It was a part of 
the contract between the doctor and tbe 
firm, that bis elder daughter, Helen, 
then iu the fifteenth year of her age, 
should teach school. Her compensation 
was to be a dollar a week and board, 
and the firm promised that if the people 
failed to pay the full amount, they 
would make up the deficiency. 

As yet there had been no legal organ- 
ization of a school district. There was 
no vacant house suitable for the accom- 
modation of a school. The best that 
could be done, was to put in order an 
abandoned and dilapidated log building, 
which had been constructed by Mr. 
Spencer and used by him for a stable, 
while getting out logs and timber, in 
the winter of 18-31 and '52. It stood in 
a wild locality, some distance from the 
main part of the settlement, in what is 
now the eastern part of the village. 
The exact location is lot 3, of block 12. 
on the south side of Front street, a 
bhort distance east of Boardman avenue. 
Under the supervision of Mr. Lay, who 
manifested much personal interest in 
the enterprise, the house was repaired, 
and furnished with such appliances as 
circumstances would admit of, at the ex- 
pense of the firm. The door was iu the 
west side. There was a small window 
near the door, and another at the east 
.side of the room. A stove stood iu tbe 
middle. The teacher's desk was near 
tbe west window. A blackboard hung 
against the wall. The desks were neatly 
made, but not painted. The floor was 
loose and open, and on one occasion 
teacher and girls suddenly gathered 
their skirts closely about them and 
sprang upon the seats for safety, as a 
suake, with threatening looks but harm- 
less intent, was seen leisurely coming 
up through one of the chinks. The 
books were such as the pupils happened 
to have. Reading, spelling, writing, 
arithmetic, and geography were taught, 
in the old-faahioued way. 

While teaching. Miss Helen lived with 
her father's family, in the boarding- 
house, the expense of ber board being 
defrayed by the patrons of the school or 
assumed by Hannah, Lay & Co., accord- 
ing to the contract. It was somethiug 
of a walk to tbe schoolhouse. On the 
direct route, there was no bridge over 
tbe river, except tbe timbers of the 
boom, near the saw mill, which served 
as a narrow foot-bridge, not very safe or 
pleasant for a timid woman to cross, but 
we are told that tbe men in the mill, 
with respectful gallantry, were always 
on the alert to lead the schoolma'am 
over. 

Tbe following list comprises the names 
of the pupils who attended this first 



A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



23 



school : George, JubD, Thomas and 
Elizabeth Cutler; A:mou<l aud Ellen 
Rutherford ; Augusta, ClariHsa aud Lu- 
cius Smith; Elizabeth Wliituey ; au 
adopted sou of the Mrs. Churchill who 
bad receutly been buried ; Albert Nor- 
ris. The next summer, the school was 
iucreased by the addition of James, 
William, John and Richard Oarhtud ; 
Mellissa, Emma and Anna Bice, aud a 
girl whose name has been forgotten. 
Elizabeth Cutler was the yonugebt pu- 
pil ; Albert Norris was the oldest, beiug 
about a year older than the teacher. * 

After the close of her first term of 
school, in the fall. Miss Helen wont to 
Chicago, where she spent the winter in 
study. Returniug the following spring, 
she was again employed to teach, in the 
log Bchoolhouse, at an advance of fifty 
cents per week ou the former wag^s. 

At this point, we take leave of Miss 
Helen Goodale, the first schoolma'am of 
Traverse City, with the statement that 
she afterwards became Mrs. T. A. Hitch- 
cock, and, respected by a large circle ot 
acquaintances, has lived to see her hum- 
ble school-house swept away by the on- 
ward march of improvement, aud a pop- 
ulous aud thriving town occupying the 
locality of the scene of her youthful la- 
bors. 

Duriug Miss Goodale's absence in 
Chicago, in the winter of 1853 and '54, 
Miss Helen Gamon, an experienced 
teacher, who was visiting her sister, 
Mrs. Holton, taught the school. It was 
kept that wiuter in the old Boardmau 
boarding-house, it being more easily 
reached by the children than the log 
schoolhonse, when the snows were deep. 
In the winter ot 1854 and '55, the teach- 
er was Farwell Campbell, the old board 
ing-house being again occupied by the 
school. A school district had been or- 
ganized, and Mr. Campbell was em- 
ployed by the legal authorities. It does 
not appear who was the teacher in the 
summer of 1855. The following winter 
the school was taught by a Mr. Euos, iu 
a building which, at the time of the 
present writing, constitutes a part of 
the hotel known as the Front Street 
House. In the winter of 1856 and '57, 
the school was kept iu a new district 
echoolhouse, which had been built, The- 
ron Bostwick being the teacher. 

Before dismissing the sulijnct of the 
early schof)l8 in the vicinity of the head 
of the bay, it is proper to mention one 
other, so unique in its inception and ex- 
ecution as to stand as a curioKity iu the 
history of educational institutions. 

In >ioveml)er, 1851, five .young men 
arrived at Old Mission, in the schooner 
Madeline, with the intention of winter- 
ing in the vicinity. Three of them were 
brotherH, named Fitzgerald. A fonrlh 
was called \Vm. Bryce. The name of 



the fifth, who was employed by the oth- 
ers as cook, has been forgotten. The 
five were all good sailors, and three of 
them had been masters of ressels duriug 
the past season, but all were deficient in 
education. None of them were even tol- 
erable readers, and one of the number 
was unable to write his name. An eager 
desire to learn was the occasion of their 
coming. Here in the wilderness they 
would be removed from the allurements 
thit might distract the attention in a 
populous port. It is probable, also, 
that diffidence arising from a conscious- 
ness of their own deficiencies made them 
uDwilliug to enter a public school, where 
their limited attainments would be dis- 
played iu painful contrast with those of 

younger pupils. 

At Old Mission, the man who had 
been engaged as teacher failing to meet 
the contract, Mr. S. E. Wait, then only 
uiueteeu years of age, was employed, at 
$20 per month and board. Bryce aud 
the Filzgeialds were to pay the bill, the 
cook receiving his tuition in compensa- 
tion for his services. The Madeline 
was brought round to Bowers" Harbor, 
aud securely anuliored for the winter. 
The after hold was converted into a 
kitchen and dining-room, and the cabin 
used for a school room. Regular hours 
of study were observed, and the men 
voluntarily submitted to strict school 
discipline. Out of school hours, they 
had a plenty of exercise iu cutting wood 
and bringing it on board, to say nothing 
of the recreation of snowballing, iu 
which they sometimes engaged with the 
delight of genuine school-boys. The 
buy that year did not freeze over til; 
.March. Previous to the freezing, th».' 
wood was brought on board in the yawl ; 
afterwards it was conveyed over the ice. 
Except by way of Old Mission, to which 
occasional visits were made, the part\ 
was entirely cut off from communication 
with the outside world. 

The progretiS of Mr. Wait's pupils in 
their studies, was a credit to themselves 
aud their youthful teacher Their after 
history is not known, except that four of 
them were captains oi vessels the follow- 
ing season. 

• l.iidi)iil)H;<11y this was the first schopl ever 
tanuhi ill th' lower peniCKiila north of Manistee. 
excL'pt tho-e conn -I tfd with the Indinn mis-ions, 
uud Mr. Wail's on board the Bchooner .Madeline. 



CHAPTER XIV. 
First Setllement of Leelanau County. 
— J Jill Lcrue — lli'.v. Oeorye A 
Smith — The OA'ini/ at A'orlhport — 
J-Hmt Fourth tj Juli) Celebration — 
Ilotv to Make a Flaj— Scant Sup- 
pUrs—Olen Arbor — Leland — Ooing 
to Mill. 

While the events narrated in the pre- 
ceding chapters were occurring in the 



vicinity of Old Mission and Traverse 
City, men were beginning to penetrate 
the wilderness and establish homes at 
other points in the Grand Traverse 
country. 

In 1847, John Lerne cani» from Chi- 
cago to the Mauiton Inlands, iu search 
of health. At that time there was a pier, 
or wharf, on each of the two islands, 
where passing steamers used to call for 
wood, the one on the north island being 
owned by Mr. Pickard, that ou the 
south by Mr. Barton. On the north 
Manitou were two fishermen, without 
families. The lighthouse was kept by a 
man named Clark. 

There were no white men at that time 
in Leelanau county. Farther south, at 
the mouth of the Betsey River, there 
was living a white man named Joseph 
Oliver, with an Indian wife, who sup- 
poitedhis family by trapping aud fish- 
ing. There were no Indians liviug on 
the Manitous, but they frequently came 
there to trade. 

Finding the climate favorable to bis 
health, Mr. Lerue commenced trading 
with the Indians, and the next year 
moved hi? establishment over to the 
muiu-land, locating at what was then 
called Sleeping Bear Bay, but now Glen 
Arbor, thus becoming the first white in- 
habitant of Leelanau county. 

Rev. George N. Smith, a minister of 
the congregational chuich, had spent 
ten years in missionary work among the 
Indians of Black river, in Ottawa coun- 
ty. A colony of Hollanders had recent- 
ly settled in the vicinity of the missioa. 
What was the real nature of the trouble, 
does not appear, but the proximity of 
the new-comers made it in some way un- 
pleasant for Mr. Smith and the Indians. 
Perhaps the action of the government 
with regard to the Indians also had an 
iufluenoe iu determining Mr. Smith's fu- 
ture course. At all events, he made ar- 
rangements to remove the mission to 
the Grand Traverse country. Visiting 
the bay in the summer of 1848, in com- 
pany with some of the mii-sion Indians, 
he Selected a location on the shore, soma 
distance north of the site of the present 
village of Northport. 

In the mean time, the government 
gave orders to James McLaughliu, In- 
dian farmer for the Waukazoo baud of 
©ttawas, at Old Winp, Allegnn county, 
to remove to Grand Traverse bay. lo 
obedience to these orders, Mr. Mc- 
Laughlin left the mouth of the Kalama- 
zoo river on the '27th day of May, 1849, 
in the schooner H. Merrill, of which he 
was owner. There were on board his 
own family, consisting of six persons 
counting himself, and that of his broth- 
er-iu law, Wm. H. Case, consisting of 
three persona. Entering Black lak«. 



24 



A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



the vessel proceeded up to the place 
■where the village of Holland is uow sit- 
uated, and received on boaid Mr. Smith 
and family, increasing the number of 
passengers to fifteen. After a tempes- 
tuous voyage, the vessel passed Cat 
Head Poiiit on the morning of the 11th 
of June, and entered the bay. 

Mr. Smith and family were landed, in 
a drenching rain, at the place previous- 
ly selected. The prospect was gloomy 
enough to dismay the stoutest heart. 
There were no whiles in the vicinity, 
and only a few Indians. A little way 
back from the beach rose a barrier of in- 
terlaced cedars and hemlocks, apparent- 
ly impenetrable, and they knew that be- 
yond it there stretched away an unbrok- 
en forest to the lake shore on the west, 
and to the distant settlements of the 
lumbermen at the mouth of the Manis- 
tee and on the Muskegon in the south. 
Both Mr. Smith and his wife were much 
depressed by the influence of their un- 
propitious surroundings, even doubting 
for a while whether they had really been 
acting under divine guidance. But the 
die was cast. There was no opportu- 
nity for retreat. 

Mr. McLaughlin, not liking the loca- 
tion chosen by Mr. Smith, sailed along 
the shore to the mouth of the little 
creek that runs through the village of 
Northport. Here the vessel was an- 
chored, and preparations were made for 
building a house. It was a common log 
house, nineteen feet square on the out- 
side. The logs were hauled to their 
place and hoisted to their positions in 
the building by the aid of a tackle 
brought on shore from the vessel. This 
first house in what is uow the village of 
Northport, stood on_ the bank of the 
creek, about six rods back from the 
beach. At a later period, it was used 
for several years as a store by White and 
Burbeuk. 

After a little titpe spent in exploring, 
Mr. Smith concluded to change his lo- 
cation. Accordingly a tent was erected, 
on the spot which, from that time, be- 
came the permanent home of the family, 
within the present village limits, in 
which they lived while Mr. Smith was 
building a log bouse. Mr. Caso built a 
log house, east of the creek, also within 
thd village limits. 

A considerable number of Indians, 
some say forty or fifty families, followed 
their missionary to the Grand Traverse 
bay. A log school bouse was built, and 
an Indian village, called Waukazooville 
in honor of a noted chief, was estab 
lished on the present site of Northport. 
Daring the first years of his re^iideuce 
here, Mr. Smith gave his time and tal- 
ents to mission work among the Indians. 
Afterwards he organized a congregation- 



al church among the whites, of which 
for many years he was the pastor. His 
death occurred on the 5th day of April, 
1881, after a brief illness Ciused by long 
continued physical exposure. His re 
mains lie buried near the home he hewed 
out of the forest, ou the shore of the 
beautiful Grand Traverse bay. 

The little colony at Northport were 
scarcely settled in tht ir new home, when 
they were reminded that the anniversary 
of the nation's birthday was close at 
hand. They determined to celebrate it 
in a becoming manner. They had no 
cannon or flag. An old sailor on board 
the vessel undertook to supply the lat- 
ter. Cuttiug up a red flannel shirt ami 
a white cotton sheet, he mauulactured 
of the two a flag that was deemed re- 
spectable for the occasion. The morn- 
ing of the Fourth was ushered in with a 
salute from all the guns that could be 
mustered. Then all the party, young 
and old, repaired to the little islaud in 
the bay, where the day was passed 
pleasantly. We may well believe, what 
■we are tuld by one who was present, 
that this first Fourth of July celebration 
iu the Gland Traverse country was as 
full of patriotism and love of country as 
any that has ever been held since. 

Early in autumn the settlers began to 
make preparations for a long and tedi- 
ous winter. They were agreeably dis- 
appointed, however, as the fall months 
passed away, to find the weather remain- 
ing pleasant. The winter proved to be 
exceptionally mild. There was no snow 
till the 12ih of December. Very little 
ice formed in the bay. By the first of 
April, every vestige of snow and ice had 
disappeared, and the ground was in 
good condition for tillage. 

At the setting in of the second winter, 
(1850-'51,) the prospect was not cheer- 
ing. The vessel that was expected to 
bring supplies, was wrecked on the voy- 
age. A son of Mr. McLaughlin has put 
on record a description of the provisions 
on hand for his father's family of six 
persons. The supply consisted of half 
a barrel of damaged flour, fifty pounds 
of pork, a barrel of white-fish, a little 
tea, potatoes enough to last through the 
winter, and a small quantity of corn, of 
home production, which they ground iu 
a hand mill. It is not probable that the 
other families were better suppl'ed. 

In the summer of 1851, a second set- 
tler, John Dorsey, located at GUn Ar- 
bor. Iu the fall of that year, Mr. Lerue 
brought his family into tho country, 
spending the following winter at North- 
port. Soou after Mr. Lerue's arrival, 
Mr. McLaughlin, who had previously 
been engaged in building A. S. Wads- 
worth's saw mill at Elk Rapids, removed 
from Northport to that place, leaving 
the original number of three famihes at 



Nortlipoit— Smith's, Case's, and Lerue's. 
Iu the spring of 1852, Mr. Lerue re- 
turned to his former location, at Glen 
Arbor. 

In 1853, Mr. A. Manseau, still a resi- 
dent of Leelanau county, settled at 
Carp river, where the village of Leland 
is uow situated. He was followed, in 
1854, by J. L Miller, John Porter, H. 
S. Buckman, John Bryant, Sr., and 
Frederick Cook. Plans were laid by 
some of the new comers looking towards 
the building of a pier at the mouth of 
the river, and a saw-mill. 

Iu the spring of 1854, John E. Fisher 
came to Glen Aibor, looking for a loca- 
tion. Having made a selection, he 
brought his brother inlaw Cogshell's 
family from the state of New York, and, 
later iu the season, his own, from Fond 
du Lac, Wis. The next year was marked 
by the arrival of Dr. W. H. Walker, of 
Fond du Lac, George Bay, and a man 
from Ohio named Nutt. The three list 
named built a pier, where the one owned 
by Charles Bossman is now standing. 

Soon after the removal of Messrs. 
McLaughlin and Lerue from Northport, 
other settlers began to arrive at that 
place. Deacon Dame, having removed 
thither from Old Mission, was the first 
to open business. He commenced the 
construction of a wharf, in 1853 or '54, 
which was afterwards completed by H. 
O. Rose. At the opening of navigation 
in 1855. it was still in an unfinished con- 
dition, a part of it, for want of planks, 
being covered with poles. A list of res- 
idents of the settlement for 1855 and 
'5G, contains the following names : Jo- 
seph Dame, H. O. Rose, Amos Fox, 
Wm. Voice, Capt. Peter Nelson, A. B. 
Page, S. W. Wilson, Thomas Rt tford, 
J. M. Burbeck, O. L. White, Henry 
Boyes, A. C. Stevens, Theodore Wood- 
rutf, Hiram Beck with, Jesse Morgan, 
Wm. Gill, and Wm. Thomas. Of these 
the greater number were heads of fami- 
lies, but a few were unmarried men. In 
1855 there was not a fiame house in the 
place — only a part of one, a structure in 
size about fourteen feet by twenty, 
which now constitutes a part of the 
dwelling occupied by W. F. Steele. 
'£he first one complete, was built by 
Mr. Thomas for Mr. Woodruff, in 1856. 
Mr. Voice commenced in 18.55 the con- 
struction of a sawmill, which wag got 
to running in the summer of the follow- 
ing year. In 1855 no roads had been 
opened, except one leading to the Ind- 
i ian settlement called Cat Head Village, 
j some three miles distaut. There was 
j not a horse team in the settlement, and 
only two or three yoke of oxen. Dur- 
ing that year, only one propeller, run- 
ning between Grand Haven and BuflEalo, 
1 made calls at the half- built wharf. 



A HISTORY OF THE GKAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



25 



For a few years, many of the settlers 
in Leelanau couaty endured great pri- 
vations. An authentic incident will il- 
Instrate the extremity to which tbey 
were sometimes puslied, and the shifts 
they were obliged to make for the pur- 
pose of securing the necessarieti of life. 
On one occasion, in winter, Mr. Tim- 
Win, having left of his supplies a bushel 
aud a half of coru-and a dollar aud a half 
in money, proposed to divide with his 
needy neighbor, Mr. Cuok, on condition 
that the latter should go to Traverse 
City, get the corn ground, and invest 
the money in groceries. Mr. Cook was 
only too glad to accept the proposition. 
A single ox, which Mr. Timblin had 
taught to work alone, was the only team 
the two men could muster. Placing the 
bag of corn on the ox's back, Mr. Cook , 
drove him across the country by an In- 
dian trail, from the viciuty of Lelaud to 
Peshawbatown, Lhe scattered Indian set- 
tlement on the shore south of Omena. 
Procuring a pony and sled of the Indi- 
ans, he left the ox in their care, and 
liroceeded up the bay on the ice to Trav- 
erse City. Having got the corn ground, 
and the money invested in groceries, he 
started on the homeward journey. Be- 
fore he reached Peshawbatown, a snow- 
storm came on, which completely hid 
the shores of the bay from view. Com- 
ing to a crack in the ice so wide as to be 
difficult to cross, he was at a loss which 
way to follow it, but after some hesita- 
tion took the direction which seemed to 
lead down the bay. Some Indians whom 
he fell in with advisetl him by signs to 
go in another direction, but having little 
confidence in their ability to direct, he 
continued his course some distance far- 
ther. Finally concluding that the In- 
dians were iJrobably right, he decided to 
change hie course. He thought it would 
perhaps save travel, if he could get on 
the other side of the ctack. It may or 
may not have been a foolish attempt, but 
it resulted in a disheartening failure. 
The pony jumped just far enough to get 
his fore feet on the solid ice of the far- 
ther side, but, failing to get his hind 
feet on a firm foundation, both pony and 
sled went into the water. To prevent the 
pony from sinking, Mr. Cook seized him 
by the ears. As he did so, his own feet 
slipped, and he came down in a sitting 
posture, in the shallow water that cov- 
ered the edge of the ice. Holding on 
still to the pony'.-i ears, he called loudly 
for help. Fortunately the Indians ho 
had met were yet within hearing, and 
promptly came to his assistance. When 
relieved. Mr. Cook was so thoroughly 
chilled as to be almost helpless. Some 
of the ludiaLs drew him on a hand sled 
to Peshawbatown, while others cared for 
the half dead pony. The meal and the 
groceries had gone to the bottom of the 



bay. There was a scene of sorrow when 
Mr. Cook reached home. Mrs. Cook 
wept freely for the loss of the little that 
had seemed to promise a short respite 
from starvation. 

The early business interests of North- 
port were developed mainly by the en- 
terprise of Messrs. Fox & Rose. Mr. 
H. O. Rose came to the place in June, 
1854, and, as already intimated, pur- 
chased the wharf privilege owned by 
Deacon Dame, pushing to completion 
the wharf already commenced. In Sep- 1 
tember, 1855, he sold a half interest in 
the property to Mr. Amos Fox, the two 
entering into partnership under t':e firm 
name above mentioned, their principal 
business beingMealiug in wood. At that 
time, the steamer.s running on the lakes j 
depended almost wholly on wood for ! 
fuel. The wharf built by Mr. Rose, aud 
afterwards twice enlarged by the lirm, 
was the first in Grand IVaverse bay at 
which a propeller could stop. It was 
easy of access, aud not far ofi' the route 
of steamers plying between the ports on i 
the lower lakes and those on the western J 
shore of Lake Michigan. In 185C, the ; 
firm supplied by contract the Northern 
Transportation Company's line of boats 
plying between Ogdensburgh and Chi- 
cago, handling that season about 5,000 
cords of wood. Afterwards contracts 
were made with other lines of steamers. 
In 1858 the firm handled from 13,000 to 
15,000 cords, and for several years after 
the amount of wood annually sold did 
not materially diminish. 

In the winter of 1856 and '57, Messrs. 
White & Bnrbeck built a wharf three 
miles north of the present village of 
Northport, and engaged in selling wood 
and shipping hemlock bark and cedar 
posts. 

Mr. Rose was the first treasurer of 
Leland township, which at that time em- 1 
braced the whole of Leelanau and Ben- [ 
zie counties. He relates having trav- 1 
eled over nearly the whole of it, going 1 
as far as Glen Arbor, to collect the an- 
nual tax, the amount of which did not 
exceed six hundred dollars. 



CHAPTER XV. 
The Pioneer Family of Elk JRapids— 
Mill Built— More Srttlcrs—Hard 
Times— A THi^ on the Ice— About ! 
to Freeze to Death— Old Joe's Rem- \ 
edij— Relief— The Village of Elk\ 
Rapids Laid <htt—Drivinfi in Cat- ' 
tie—The First Funeral— Changes— I 
James Rankin & &on—M. Craw & I 
Co.— Dexter & Xoble. 
Mr. A. S. Wadsworth, the pioneer of 
Elk Rapidf, first visited Grand Traverse 
bay in 184G, stopping a few days at Old 
Mission. On that occasion he came 



from his home in Portland, Ionia coun- 
ty, in a small boat, passing down Grand 
river to its mouth, and then coasting 
along the eastern shore of Lake Michi- 
gan. The next year, in August, accom- 
panied by his brother-in-law, Samuel 
K. Northam, he took his lamily to De- 
troit, where the party embarked on a 
propeller for Mackinac. From the lat- 
ter place they found passage on a schoon- 
er as far as Cross Village. There, after 
camping for several days on the beach, 
waiting for a storm to subside, they em- 
barked in a small boat for Old Mission. 
At Middle Village they again went in- 
to camp, and waited two days on ac- 
, count of rain. The next stop was made 
i at Little Traverse, where they hoped to 
obtain provisions of the Indians. They 
only succeeded, however, in getting a 
few potatoes and a single loaf of bread. 
The party had lived on fish till that 
food had ceased to tempt the appetite. 
The childi-en, especially, were sufi'ering 
for want of their accustomed diet. Af- 
ter leaving Little Traverse, they were 
, favored with pleasant weather and got 
; on rapidly. The last day, the bay was 
rough, and they had some fears about 
crossing to Old Mission from the east- 
j em shore, along which they had been 
j coasting. Seeing a smoke on the shore 
j near Elk river, they ran to it. Fortu- 
nately they found there some Indians, 
with an excellent sea boat, who were 
about to cross. As a matter of precau- 
tion, Mrs. Wadsworth and the children 
were put into the Indians' boat, which 
was navigated by Mr. Wadsworth and 
one of the Indians, while Mr. Northam 
and the remaining Indians occupied Mr. 
Wadsworth's boat. In a short time the 
party landed at Old Mission in safety. 
They had been nearly two weeks coming 
from Mackinac. 

Mr. Wadsworth remained about two 
years at Old Mission. In the mean 
time, he conceived the project of im- 
proving the excellent water power at 
Elk river, which seemea to promise 
generous returns for investment. Ac- 
cordingly, in the spring of 1849, he 
commenced building a house at what ia 
now Elk Rapids. With the exception 
of the log house built by Mr. Dougher- 
ty during his temporary residence on 
the east side of the bay, the material of 
which had already been removed to Old 
Mission, this waa the first building 
erected by a white man in .\ntrim coun- 
ty.* In October the family moved in- 
to it, while it was yet in an unfinish ed 
state. Mr. Wadsworth soon after com- 
menced building a mill for the manu- 
facture of pickets and laths, which waa 
got to running in the spring of 1851. 
The following winter it was rebuUt as 
a saw-mill. Both house and mill hava 



26 



A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



went back alone after the load of fish. 
By the 16th of April their seed corn 



disappeared before later improvements, 
not a vestige of either remaining to mark 
the place where it stood. 

Until 1851, Mr. Wadsworth's family, 
including his hired help, all of which 
lived in his own house, was the only one 
in Elk Rapids. In July of that year, 
Mrs. Wadsworth and the children went 
east to spend the winter, Mr. Wads- 
worth remaining at home. The fall was 
marked by the arrival of four families — 

those of Amos Wood, Alexander Mc Vic- 
ar, James McLaughlin, and a Mormon 

family named Barnes. The TMormons 

remained but a short time. Mc Vicar 

removed to a lumber camp on Round 

Lake, leaving only two families — Wood's 

and McLaughlin's— in the settlement 

during the winter. Mr. McLaughlin, 

as we have already seen, had come from 

Northport, to be near his work on the 

new saw-mill. 

The winter of 1851 and '52 set in early 

and proved to be severe. The ice on 

the bay formed nearly three feet thick, 

and the snow was three feet deep in the 

woods. By the middle of January the 

two families found themselves nearly 

out of provisions. Twice some of their 

number went across the bay with hand 

Bleds, to Hannah, Lay & Go's establish- 
ment, after flour. Towards spring the 

supply of flour gave out, no more being 

obtainable at that place. Hulled corn 

was used for a while as a substitute for 

bread, but at last the store of corn was 

exhausted. Some fisherman had left a 

quantity of white-fi'-h in his shanty, 
near where the village of Torch Lake 
now stands. Two trips were made to 
that place, after some of the fish. 

On one of these trips to the fisher- 
man's shanty, James J. McLaughlin, 

then but a youth, came near losing his \ ''°^ ^""^^^ families, 
life. His companion was the Indian, | 

Old Joe. Having opened a half barrel ! '^^"^ °^^ ^^^ village of Elk Rapids, 
to pour off the brine, in order to make 
their load lighter, they took out one of 
the salt fish and roasted it by the fire 
while resting. James ate heartily of it, 
notwithstanding the caution of his more 
prudent companion. Starting on their 
return, they found that drawing their 
loaded hand sled against a head wind, 
with two or three inches of snow on the 
ice, was no c'"''d'c r'"?- J'"nes soon 
began to suffer with a terrible thirst, 
which could be only partially allayed by 
drinking at every crevice in the ice. 
The day was bitterly cold. The fatigue, 
the extreme severity of the weather, 
and the large quantity of cold water 
taken into the stomach, all, perhaps, 
tiad their influence in producing that 
condition of somnolency which often 
precedes death by freezing, Only by 
the watchfulness of the Indian was he 
prevented from deliberately lying down 



to sleep. Old Joe had finally to relieve j Traverse City being through an unbrok- 
him from the load, drawing it himself. 
Darkness came on while they were yet 
several miles from home. James could 
no longer control himself. Lying down 
upon the ice, he was asleep in a mo- 
ment. In a moment more he was roused 
to wakefulness by a tingling sensation 
on the less protected parts of the body, 
that reminded him of the schoolmaster 
and the birch of his early school days. 
Old Joe had detached from the sled the 
leather strap used for drawing it, and 
was laying it on to his companion with a 
will. Not satisfied with making him re- 
gain his feet in a lively manner, he left 
the sled, and drove him in advance all 



en wilderness, with only the section 
lines for guides. The first day out from 
Grand Rapids, Mr. Siawsoa's cow broke 
away and was lost. The party were 
thirteen days in accomplishing the dis- 
tance to Elk Rapids. Not a little ex- 
citement was caused in the settlement 
by the sound of a cow bell worn by one 
of the animals, as the party approached, 
it being the first ever heard there. Soon 
afterwards Mr. Mc Vicar moved his fath- 
er's family in from Canada, briugiug 
two cows, making altogether a herd of 
eight head of cattle in the settlement. 
About the first of November, 1852, ^ 
cloud settled over the community, 



the way home. The next day Old Joe 1 caused by the death of Charlie, young- 
est son of James McLaughlin, a bright 
boy of thirteen. It was the first death. 



and seed beans, intended for planting | There was no clergyman on the east side 



the following season, had been consum- 
ed. For some time the ice in the bay 
had been so rotten as to make traveling 
upon it unsafe, and they had been anx- 
iously waiting for it to break up, so as 
to permit them to cross in boats to Old 
Mission, where they hoped to get a lit- 
tle corn and a few potatoes of the In- 
dians. About three o'clock in the after- 
noon ot that day, the ice began to move. 
With the dawn of the 17th, all were 
astir. Looking out upon the bay, a 
belt of open water was seen, and, to 
their great joy, not far off was a vessel 
working her way up through it. She 



of the bay, but appropriate funeral serv- 
ices were conducted by a layman, Mr. 
John McDonald. The grave was made 
in a grove of pines, in a beautiful spot, 
on. the first terrace above the bay. For 
several years afterwards the place was 
used as a burying-ground by the inhab- 
itants. The remains of the first occu- 
pant were removed at a later date to 
Maple Grove cemetery. 

The year 1853 brought many changes. 
Large additions of immigrants were 
made to the population. Among those 
who became residents of the village or 
settled in the vicinity, were John Dena- 



proved to be the schooner Liberty, of ' hy, E. L. Sprague, J. W. Arnold, David 
Racine, Wis., Captain Miller, loaded ! F. Parks, Alexander Campbell, and Hi- 



with provisions. She was soon boarded 
by the men. Hearing their story, Capt- 
Miller at once hoisted out a barrel of 
flour and another of pork, with which 
they returned to their haK famished but 

>w happy families. 

In the spring of 1852, Mr. Wadsworth 

Lots 
were sold for twenty-five dollars each. 
The employment furnished by the mill 
was an inducement for new-comers to 
settle in the vicinity. Among those who 
came that season were Michael Gay, 
John Lake, Jared Stocking, John B. 
Spencer, and their families. Messrs. 
Gay and Spencer, it will be remember- 
ed, have already been mentioned as 
among the early settlers at Traverse 
City. 

Up to 1852 there were no cattle in the 
vicinity of Elk Rapids, except a yoke of 
oxen at the lumber camp on Round 

Lake. In July Mr. JIcLaughlin went 1 Mr. Northam having charge of the busi- 
to the south part of the State, and re- ! ness. The mill was scarcely completed, 
turning brought with him a yoke of oxen I when he sold it to M. Craw & Co., of 
and a cow. At Grand Rapids he was i which firm Mr. Wirt Dexter was the 
joined by Wm. Slawson and Perry Stock- principal partner, 
ing, each with a cow. From Grand In September, 1855, 



ram Robinson. The clearings of farm- 
ers began to dot the shores of Elk lake. 

Within the next few years the settle- 
ments spread in all directions. A. T. 
Allen, Orrin Page, and Edjvin Pulcipher 
located near the shore of the bay, 
south of Elk Rapids, and were fol- 
lowed a little later by Joseph Sours, 
Riel Johnson, and others. Wm. Cope- 
land, Wm. Merrill, Almon Yonng, and 
several others, attracted by the choice 
lands on Round lake, founded what has 
since been favorably known in the his- 
tory of Grand Traverse agriculture as 
the Round lake settlement. 

In 1853 Mr. Wadsworth sold his mill 
to James Rankin & Sous, who built a 
store and brought in a stock of goods. 
Jared Stocking opened a hotel. In the 
fall and following winter Mr. Wadsworth 
built another saw-mill, on the site of the 
mill since owned by Dexter & Noble, 



Rapids the 
route from 



party struck north, their 
the Muskegon River to 



Mr. Henry H. 
Noble came to Elk Rapids, as an em- 
ploye of M. Craw & Co. In the fall of 



A HISTORY OF THE GEAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



27 



the foUoniug year, "(1856,) that firm was 
dissolved, and a new iiue was organized, 
under the name of Dexter & Noble, 
Wirt Dexter and Henry H. Noble being 
the only partners. The stock of goods 
and the saw-mill of the former firm 
passed into the hands of the latter. In 
the course of the winter the saw-mill 
was rebuilt, and in the spring the new 
firm commenced the manufacture of 
lumber with facilities for making three 
millions of feet annually. Tlie business 
was continued on this very modernte 
scale till 1861, when a gang saw mill was 
built, with u capacity of ten millions. 

To the enterprise and energy and the 
far-seeing and wisely conducted liberal 
business policy of Dexter & Noble, the 
prosperity of Elk Bapids and the sur- 
rounding country is largely due. The 
only change evei made m the personnel 
of the firm, was the admission of Mr. E. 
B. Noble as a partner, in 1869. Of the 
immense business enterprises of later 
years, successfully built on the modest 
foundation of their first little saw-miU 
and small store, it would be oat of place 
to speak at this strf^e of our narrative. 

To return to earlier dates : A notable 
event of the year 1853, was the opening 
of the first school. The house in which 
it was kept is still standing, not far 
from the brick school house that has 
since been built. The young teacher, 
George W. Ladd, of the peninsula, has 
long since passed to his reward, having 
fallen a victim to that dreaa disease con- 
sumption. Several of his pupils are 
still living in the country, looking back, 
no doubt, with fond remembrance to 
their association with that school as a 
pleasing and important event in the his 
tory of their lives. 

• Rev. J. J. Mclnnenlin writes me that in 1854 
he discoveri'd the remaiuej of a Iok liouse on the 
Bhorcof Elk lake, about four rods south of the 
connty line, between Orand Traverse and Antrim 
connties. It had been built of cedar logs. Jlr. 
Mcl-an^hlin thinks from appearances that the 
logs bad not been removed, Imi that the building 
had settled down where it stood. There was noth- 
ing to shiw of what materials the roof had been 
constructed. The doorway was in the south end, 
and there had been a stone chimney, or fireplace, 
In the northeaet corner. That it had lieen inhab. 
ited was evident from the ashes and coals found 
in the 6replace. 

That this structure was not the work of Indians, 
iB e%ident from the fact that the fireplace was 
built of stones and was in the corner of the build- 
Ine, If l)«ilt by white men, and if, as Mr. Mc- 
Laughlin thinks, time enough had elapsed for it 
to rot domi previous to 1854, there must have 
been white men on Elk lake a generation or two 
earlier than Mr. Dougherty's arrival iit Old Mis- 
sion, for cedar timber doei not rot readily. Who 
they were and why they were here, is a myaiiry 
that perhaps will never be solved. M . L. L. 



CHAPTER XVI. 
Early CIntrch Work at Elk Rapids — 
A Minister Builds a Raft— What 
Uapjiened to the Raft and the Min- 
ister — Rev. J. W. Miller — Potatoes 
and Salt — S'coldinf/ the Lord — A 
Friend in Need — " The Lord is'my 
Shepherd." 
Until 1857 there had been no stated 
religions service anywhere on the east 
side of the bay. On the second day of 
August in that year, Kev. D. R. Latham 
crossed from Old JMission, and preached 
at Elk Rapids. He attempted to include 
that point in his round of regular ap- 
pointments, but often found it difficult 
to cross the bay. When, in the fall of 
1858, the Michigan conference detached 
Elk Rapids from Old Mission and Trav- 
erse City, and erected it, with the adja- 
cent territory, into what was known as 
Whitewater circuit, Mr. Latham was as- 
signed to it as preacher in charge, and 
removed from Old Mission to his new 
work. 

It seems to have been Mr. Latham's 
fortune to Miet with many of those ad- 
ventures and mishaps, some dangerous, 
some ludicrous, that fall to the lot of 
the pioneer, especially if the pioneer, 
like the subject of our sketch, is coura- 
geous, confident, careless of the cost, 
and inexperienced in the wild life of a 
new country. We have given one to the 
reader ; another may not be out of 
place. 

On one occasion, when going to fill 
an appointment to preach in Mr. Allen's 
house, in Whitewater, he resolved to 
save time and distance by following the 
beach instead of the usual route by the 
road. Between Elk Rapids and White- 
water there is a little lake, called by 
the Indians Petobego, separated from 
Grand Traverse bay by only a narrow 
sand bar. Sometimes the outlet of Pe- 
tobego is a shallow brook, that one can 
easily wade through. Sometimes it is 
entirely tilled up with the shifting sand, 
so that one may walk across it dry shod. 
Sometimes, again, a large part of the 
bar is washed away, and the channel be- 
tween the little lake and the bay is 
broad and deep. Of the uncertain char- 
acter of the bar, however, Mr. Latham 
was iguoraut. On arriving at Petobego, 
he found the outlet about ten rods wide 
and several feet deep, and, what to him 
was a mystery, instead of Petobego run- 
ning into the Day there was a strong 
current from the bay into Petobego. 
The mystery would have been no mys- 
tery to one familiar with the phenomena 
of the lake shore — there was a strong 
west wind blowing, driving the waters 
of the bay into the little lake. Here 
was a dilemma. He must either go 
back by way of Elk Rapids or cross the 



stream. There was not time for the for- 
mer, besides he was now more than half 
way to his appointment. There was 
plenty of drift-wood on the beach. He 
resolved to build a raft. Laying off his 
overcoat and gloves, he brought it to- 
gether, till he supposed he had collect- 
ed material sufficient for a raft large 
euough to carry him over. Putting in- 
to the water a layer of poles and slabs, 
arranged side by side, he covered them 
with a second layer, placed crosswise. 
Then putting on his overcoat, he took a 
long piece of edging for a setting pole, 
and pushed off. The current was strong- 
er than he had supposed. In pushing 
off, he stood on one edge of the raft. 
The poles of the opposite edge being 
I left loose, were washed away by the cur- 
I rent, and he soon saw a row of them 
chasing each other into Petobego. Next 
he discovered that he was drifting out 
of his course. To regain it, he gave an 
' extra push with all his might. The 
1 edge of the raft on which he stood set- 
I tied down into the water, while the poles 
' of the portion opposite floated away in a 
1 body. At the same time, the setting 
pole snapped in two, leaving a piece 
I only three or four feet long in his hands. 
' There followed a moment of anxiety. 
j He could not swim. He knew that the 
remaining fragment of the raft would 
not hold together a minute longer. He 
was standing on two slabs, which lay 
side by side, with their flat surfaces up- 
permost. A thought came like a flash 
of inspiration. Stooping down, he 
turned one of them over, placing it atop 
of the other with their flat surfaces to- 
gether, and quickly jumped astride of 
them. The water was unpleasantly 
cold, for it was in November, but he 
felt safe and happy. With the fragment 
of edging' he paddled ashore, climbed 
up the bank, emptied the water out of 
his boots, and went on to Mr. Allen's. 
But Mr. Latham's troubles were not 
over. The congregation was waiting. 
There was a good fire in the stove, and 
the big family bible had been placed on 
] a stand near it. He was not proud of his 
adventure, and did not desire to have it 
known. It was fortunate, he thought, 
: that the stand and bible were so near 
the stove. He would quietly dry him- 
self while conducting the services, and 
nobody should be the wiser. As be 
. knelt down to pray, he purposely push- 
' ed his feet under the stove. The action 
disturbed an overgrown puppy that was 
sleeping there, which came out, and, 
after smelling at him till satisfied of Iiis 
friendly character, began to lick his 
face. Mr. Latham shut his eyes tight- 
ly, and tried to endure it while he went 
ou with his prayer, but the perform- 
ances of the puppy at lengtlrbecume too 
much for the patience of one of tha 



28 



A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



men. Seizing the poor dog by tlie skin 
of tlie neck, he hurled him across the 
room to the door, where a boy caught 
him by the feet and threw him yelping 
outside. In after years Mr. Latham as- 
serted that he could not remember how 
he preached or what was the subject of 
his sermon on that occasion. 

It is understood that at the conference 
in the fall of 1859, Mr. Latham was as- 
signed to Whitewater circuit for another 
year. He had labored faithfully, endur- 
ing hardships and battling with difficul- 
ties such as the ministers of more fa- 
vored localities know nothing of by ex- 
perience. He had been literally starved 
out. Seeing an opportunity to get an 
appointment as teacher in a government 
Indian school, he thought it his duty to 
take advantage of it, and accordingly, 
in November, left the Grand Traverse 
country for his new field of labor. 

The Whitewater circuit was without a 
pastor till April of the following year, 
when Kev. J. W. Miller arrived and 
took chaige of the work. 

Mr. Miller had been converted about 
a year previously. He was a young 
lawyer, just admitted to the bar, and 
had been appointed by Judge Little- 
john as circuit court commissioner. He 
was in love with his profession and his 
worldly prospects were bright, but the 
call to the niinistry was imperative. 
He promised the Lord of the harvest 
that if he would open a door for him, he 
would enter in, regardless of consequen- 
ces. Soon afterwards, Eev. S. Steele, 
who had succeeded Eev. W. W. John- 
son as presiding elder of the Grand 
Traverse district, called on him and pro- 
posed that he should take the abandoned 
field at Whitewater. The proposal was 
promptly accepted, and Mr. Steele, 
with the approval of the quarterly con- 
ference, gave him a local preacher's li- 
cense. 

Mr. Miller had no great amount of 
funds. It cost between forty and fifty 
dollars to move, besides the misfortune 
of breaking and spoiling a large propor- 
tion of his furniture. For some time he 
and his young wife lived on their own 
means, but they were at length eshaust- 
eit. and then many a meal was made on 
only potatoes and salt. No wonder if 
they became discouraged, and if their 
faith in God's care of his servants be- 
gan to waver. 

One day, before going to his appoint- 
ment, Mr. Miller went out into the 
woods in front of his house, as he has 
since related, "to give the Lord a scold- 
ing for getting them into such a fix," af- 
ter they had trusted to his guidance and 
relied on his aid. He could not under- 
stand or appreciate the situation, but 
while talking with God — "praying and 



scolding by turns" — the good Father 
was pleased to open his eyes. He saw 
his own unworthiness as never before, 
and the goodness of God in even giving 
them potatoes. He was conseiou.; of re- 
ceiving a wonderful blessing. Then and 
there he promised God that if he would 
furnish potatoes, he would remain in the 
ministry, and never murmur again. Ee- 
turning to the house, he put the> saddle 
on old Jack, his Indian pony, and start- 
ed for his appointment at Elk lake. 
Ou his way, he called on Mr. Hill, an 
unconverted man, and talked and prayed 
with the family. As he left the house, 
Mr. Hill walked with him across the 
fields to the road. The latter seemed 
nervous, evidently having something on 
his mind that caused him much distress. 
Finally he burst into tears, as he said, 
"Elder, I suppose you will be offended 
and say it is none of my business, but 
for over a week I have been thinking 
about you ; not only in the daytime, but 
I wake in the night and wonder if you 
have anything to eat, and there is such 
a pressure on me I must out with it, re- 
gardless of consequences*' Mr. Miller 
told him all, and Mr. Hill insisted on 
dividing with him what he had, and then 
went round to the neighbors and collect- 
ed what they could give. "Thus," says 
Mr. Miller, "while I was fretting and 
complaining, the good Lord was work- 
ing and caring for us. It is a lesson I 
have never forgotten and never wish to 
forget. From that day to the present, 
I have never murmured at the work of 
the ministry or for a single moment 
wished myself out of it. Another thing 
— from that day to the present, I have 
never asked, either as pastor or presid- 
ing elder, for a single dollar. After 
twenty-five years, I can still say with 
the Psalmist, ' the Lord is my shep- 
herd.' My only regret is that I have 
not been more faithful and efficient in 
the great work." 

Mr. Miller remained on Whitewater 
circuit till the fall of 1861, when by the 
action of the annual conference he was 
transferred to Northport. He usually 
preached three times on Sunday and 
once during the week, the appointments 
being Elk Rapids, Elk Lake, Bound 
Lake, Williamsburg, Acme, and Yuba. 



CHAPTER XVIL 

Richard Cooper — Little Traverse — 
Fis/iitig and Fishermen — CajJtain 
Kirtland— Mission at Bear Creek — 
Helpfulness of the Indians — An 
Indian Mother and her Boy — Prog- 
ress of the Pupils — Indian Farm- 
ing. 

The first white settler at Little Trav- 
erse, now called Harbor Springs, except 
those connected with the Catholic mis- 
sion, was Eichard Cooper. 



Mr. Cooper came from Genesee coun- 
ty, N. Y., to the Beaver Islands in 18i8, 
to engage in fishing. In the fall of 
1850 he returned home. In the spring 
of 1851 he came back on the trading 
schooner Eliza Caroline, owned and 
commanded by Capt. Kirtland. Touch- 
ing at Pine Eiver, now Charlevoix, the 
Caroline landed several fishermen and a 
quantity of salt. Stopping next at Old 
Mission and then at Northport, she 
sailed for Gull Island, where Mr. Coop- 
er remained during the summer, buying 
fish for Kirtland. In the fall he re- 
moved to Little Traverse, where he 
opened a store for Kiitland, in whose 
employ he still remained. 

At the time of Mr. Cooper's settle- 
ment at Little Traverse, the fishermen 
had already established themselves at 
several points on the northern part of 
Lake Michigan, but there were none at 
that place. That same fall, however, 
was marked by the arrival of Charles R. 
Wright, Albert Cable, James Moore, 
Harrison Miller, Thomas Smith, and 
Patrick Sullivan. Wright and Cable at 
first stopped on the ooint ; the others in 
the village. All of them were in some 
way connected with the fishing interest. 

Fishing at that time was perUaps more 
I profitable than it has been during a lat- 
er period ; at all events, the testimony 
of those of the early fishermen who stiil 
remain agrees as to the fact that fish 
were much more plentiful then than 
now. Pound nets were not used. Af- 
ter they came into common use, there 
was a sensible and rapid diminution in 
the quantity of fish. 

Some who came to the country in 
those early days to fish, remained as 
permanent citizens; but generally the 
fisherman was a transient person, estab- 
lishing himself anywhere on the shore 
where there was a promise of success in 
his pursuit, and readily changing his lo- 
cation as immediate interest seemed to 
dictate. Associated with the fishermeu, 
wherever they were numerous, were al- 
ways a number of cooper.s, who found 
employment in making barrels for the 
fish. Sometimes the cooper's shop was 
m the immediate vicinity of the fish 
shanties; sometimes, for ths conven- 
ience of obtaining material, it was lo- 
cated at a distance. The material for 
barrels was derived from timber grow- 
ing on the public lands, which was 
looked upon as lawful plunder. Small 
trading establishments, like that of Capt. 
Kirtland under the management of Mr. 
Cooper at Little Traverse, sprang up at 
various points, drawing their custom 
from both the fishermen and the Ind- 
ians. A few small ve8.sels, or "hook- 
ers, " found a lucrative business in trad- 
ing from place to place, selling supplies 
and purchasing fish. Not uufrequently 



A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRATERSE REOIOW- 



29 



wUinky was a (jriucitjal ailicle of trade. 
It is remembered to tbe credit of Capt. 
Kirtlaud tbat be uever Bold whisky to 
Ui6 ludiaus <T took advauUge of tbem 
in biisiuess trauaactiouB. 

At tbe time referred to, tbe lodiHUS 
were miicb more uumerous iu tbe viciui- 
ty of Little Tiaverne thau at a later date, 
aud tbat place remaiued for mauy >eara 
to all iuteuts am purposes au ludiau 
village, tbe oi.ly wbite iubabitauts be- 
iug a few tisbermeu aud traders. Iu 
tbe meaulime, au eulerprise grew up ou 
tbe oppofile bide of tbe bay, almost 
witbiu tbe preseut limits of tbe village 
of^eto-skey, tbat is wortby of au extend- 
ed uotice. 

Wben Mr. Dougherty's flock began to 
Bcatter from Old MisMou. some ludiun 
families from tbat place lemoved to tbe 
vio uity of Bear Creek, where a baud of 
Ottawas aud Cbippewas were already 
living. It was peibips tbiougb tbe in- 
fluence of tbe new comers tbut a request 
was made to Mr. Doiigberty by tbe In- 
dians tbat a school might be eslablished 
among them. By order of tbe Piesby 
teriau board, under whose authoriiy be 
wasactii.g, Mr. Dougherty visited them 
iu tbe winter of 1851 ui.l 52. aud made 
BO favoiable a repoit that tbe board de- 
termined to ac-crde to their request, aud 
Mr. Andrew Port43r, wh- had previously 
Spent some time as teacher at Old Mis- 
sion, was appoiuted for tbe work. 

Mr. Potter, with his family, left his 
home iu Peunsjlvauia early in May, 
1 5'2 arriviug ut his destination the first 
of June. From Mackin.e he came in 
C.ipt. Kirlland's vessel, the Eliia Caro- 
line, tbe captain briugiug him for a veiy 
small sum. Mr. D.iugherty bad preVi 
ously sent a veesel with a ergo of lura 
ber for the couBtructiou of the necessary 
bnildiugs. The pile of lumber on the 
beach, served to guide Capt. Kirtlaud 
to tbe proper landing. Ou leaviug tbe 
veBsel. the parly were ki ...).> received 
by the bead man, Daniel N\el s, or Mwa- 
ke we nab, « hiiaa the baud afterwards 
elected chief, and who, a few years later, 
laid down bis life for the coui.try iu the 



Litlle Traverse were ofl'eriug tbeir assis- 
tauoe. Soon after, ou a set day, about 
seventy men, and seven ponies with 
"sled ears," were found to have c<.>me 
together ou the beach, ready for work. 
The ponies did very well, but more than 
half tbe lumber was cairied up the hill 
to the ^ite of the proposed buildings on 
tbe shoulders of the meu. 

Mr. Porter fouud tbe Indians uni- 
formly kind. He never failed to secure 
tbeir services, when tbe services of a 
frieud were needed. Ou firbt coming 
auioug tbem, be aud bis family threw 
themselves upon tbeir honor aud hou- 
esty, uever turning a key to prevent 
them from stealing, aud, tbougb they 
were tb.- n poor aud < f ten hungry, the , 
coiilidence reposed in them was not be 
tra,\eJ. ] 

The mission board adopted the plan 
of giving to the pupils iu the sihool a 
geueious lunch every day at uoon. 
There ceemed to be a nece8!>ity for this, 
as the coin soup, (miu-dah min-ali-boo.) 
which was the priucipal food of tbe lu- 
diaus, could not be couveniently carried 
Willi tbem ; aud theu it «as fonud by 
experience that if they were allowed to 
go home for diuuer, which was not gen- 
erally praclicalile, as most of ih. m lived 
too far away, they were not likely to re- i 
turn the same day. 

For a loug liu.e the Indians took a 
deep iuteribt iu tbe school. This state- | 
ment is illuNtrated by a touching inoi- , 
deut, related by Mr. Porter. Joseph i 
Nabah-na yah sung, or, as he named] 
himtelf, Gibson, a boy about ten years 
old, while the school was euspeuded for 
sugar making one spring, had tbe mia- 
foiluue to break both bones of the leg 
between the ankle and tbe kuee. When 
tbe school opened again, be was still un- 
able to walk. With a womanly devotion 
that stands as a living argument against 
the doctrine of the total depravity of hu- 
man nature even iu those we c.il sav- 
ages, his mother and sister alternately 
carrud him tbree-c^uailers of a m. e to 
school every day .n their shoulders. If 
iuquiry be made as to tbe life aud fate 



laid down nis iiie lor luo uoui.n.r .u .uc — ^ . ,• ,, t i ;. ,^,,i„ 

war of the .ebelhou. He placed bis "« tl'" ^oy thus highly favored, it only 
war oi iiit ...... ;..„ 1,. <i-.iia— ni.il let it be WilltvU 



best room at tbe dlspo^Bl of Mr. Poiter, 
till the Mission lioii e could be built. 

The place selected for the Mission was 
on the high land west of Bear C-^eek, 
half a mile back from tl e bay. How to 
get the lumber to the spot, was a prob- 
lem tbat caused some anxi. ty. The on- 
ly domestic animal iu the settlement 
tbat could be put to such work was a 
single pony, »i d the only vehicle was a 
cart, and then tbe new road which bad 
recently been cut through tbe forest by 
the Indians was too roUfjh aud uneven 



remains to write— and let it be wiiltvU 
among the records of the honorable 
dead— that he died, as many other noble 
meu died, bj ciuel btarvatiou iu Auder- 
Bouville prison. 

There were many hindrances to suc- 
cebs which it beemed impossible to re- 
move or tntiiey overcome. Some of 
these Were incident to the Indian mode 
of life. There was of necessity a loug 
vacation in the season of sugar- making, 
during which the village was deserted. 
In planting time the school was small, 



for a wheel carriage of any kind. The tbougb never entirely closed At the 
anxiety, however, was soon lemoved by | proper beasou for peeling cedar bark, 
tlwanuguucemeut that Uui ludiiui. of | collecting ruahcs for mats, or picluaa 



straw ben ies, ra.spDcrrie^, or huckleber- 
ries, the Indians would leave by boat 
loads, taking their children with them. 
Notwithstandiug tbei^e drawbacks, the 
children made commendable progress, 
considering that they had to learn a new 
language, tbe teaching being done in 
English. Mauy learned to re.id and 
write very well, aud some made more or 
less advancement in arithmetic and ge- 
ography. The success, however, was 
scarcely what tbe parents h id anticipa- 
ted, »nd some degree of discouragement 
j was the result. Add to this the fact that 
' iuflueuces adverse to the education of 
the masses, emanating from the Catholio 
' missions at Little Traverse and Cross 
; Vi lage, at length beg.m to be felt by 
tlie whole Indian population of the vi- 
Iciuity, and it is no wonder tbat the iu- 
' teiest iu the school fell to a lower degree 
o' iiitei.B ty thau that mauifetited at the 
begiuuiug. 

A church was organize! at the mis- 
sion. Mr. Porter was a layman. Oa 
the occasions of Mr. Dougherty's visits, 
' there was preaching aud tbe commuuuiu 
I service. At one time BeV. H. W. Gulh- 
' rie, a young minister, resided for two 
I years at the mi.ssion, preaching there 
jaud at Middle Village. Except when 
IMr. Dougherty or Mr. Guthiie wa« 
piesent, tbe Sabbath services, in which 
some of the Indians always took ptrt, 
consisted of singing, prayer, and tLo 
reading of the scriptures with remaika 
on the portion read. 

Duiiug Ihe continuatice of the mii* 
si -u, the ludiaus made steady improve- 
ment iu the art and practice of farming. 
In 1852 there was only one pony and one 
plow among them. The surface of the 
ground in tbeii small fields was strewn 
with the trunks of fallen trees, amon,< 
which cultiralion was ciuried ou with no 
implement but the hoe. AVrwards, 
when they bad to some extent been pro- 
vided with teams aud farming utensils 
1 by the government, acoordiug to treaty 
MlipulatiouB, their fields were cleared 
aud plowed. Oats, wheat, corn, aud 
potatoes were the principal crops. Of 
the last two, enough Was Usually raised 
to supply their own wants and leave a 
surplus for sale. Uufortuuately the 
men sent to that locality by the agents 
of the goverumeut as ludian farmers, 
whose duty it was to instruct them in 
the art anU piactice of farming, were 
Irequeutly too bhiflless to do any thing 
but draw their own ealaries. A well re- 
membfcied case will illustrate the stute- 
meut. The Indians ha i become dissat- 
ibfied with one ol this kind, and r*- 
solved, if possible, to get rid of him. 
Accordingly an old chief was delegated 
to present a Complaiut to the agent, 
wb.ch he did lu the following brief 
tarias: "Fur the flist year or two, be 



8 



80 






WouM Buiueuuies couie out to the K„i,i 1 1 - Z7 

Where we were Plowiog. take ^Id ^^ Xtirof " f ^^^T^^^^^^^^^ 
the plow handles and go half across tl, J ^*. ** "'"''^ '° ^'"«» '" Wmcou- 
fi^ld.andthenwould4'Iamh:: ry^ r;,/.?%''^.: «"^^^^^^^ ot the eaiu.s 
«r.d return to the village and re^^uj^^f ,P'"'*^ '^"^'^'^ "" '"e 18th of 
there the rest of the d^; but now he LT. '"^' ""^'""^ ''"" "' '"-' he 

«>eyer comes near us at al ." As thiso! B, ,h ""r"'*"^ '^'^''^'^ «'=''«««. b"t 
called fa,mer. who wa« sitting by and N-" ^/""" '''°"^'^' otherwise and 
heard the con^plaint. had n'lfeL'o Lt"^ f' ^"^ J""" ^'''*" -'''1- revela- 
'^e. he was promptly discharged ^h /" '"'"' "^ ''• '^ ^« '^tt-' "-"taiued 

For the first two or threeTeat the l!, , T"*'''"'^ *^ ^ '''^ revelatio. al 
expense of the n.issionwa3bornT;hoist^^ "'"' ^''^'"^'^ """^""-J 

1> by the pre.b.Uerian board If ^ J f ^ '" P'"'**^ '-ith his scheme, aud 
theestabiistmentof Ind.au scLooltb; Eth";^:^ ''l .^ 1"'='' ^'^-'^ «^^ ^-' 
the government, the one at the mi««i„n 'him M 'n """ ^"** "^ "'^ '*='«'" t" 
was adopted by the agent as a g„~ 1 1 '"^ . "!, '^.°**'"'"K 'hem. The let- 
n>entsc.ool. and the usual salar/JLstL ',''"'' "° intimation that 
Pa.d to Mr. Porter as teacher Ib^^f ,7 "«, ' 1"'^ ^'^ "^^^ P'«i". »-d that 

871 the government funds seaparXlu7d,:i.°"'.' '^''" «'^'">' «'W 
J:^?.!"::^/. 'T^'^^r ''^e.I^^-s.Sltte,!' '^ '''^ '""^ "^ ^'--' ^'^ 



rug exhausted, nd the boatdfindiog it- 

jelf .ttattened for means, the m^sfion 
was d„c„ntinued. The landed property 

of the e.tabh.bment parsed i^^o other 
h«nd«,and Mr. P.uer returned to his 



Smith was killed on the 27th of June 

mne days after the later was wntten 

Strang da.med to have had a vi.i„n at 

the very bour of Smith's death, in wbid 

; tS.l/!'."^-<^,^"^-edhim 



Pennsylvania home. The place is n7w" t'hit God' T.'"" "^""^ '"'"'— — 
occupied by Mr. N. Jarmin and i« «nn . '"^ '""'""'ited him ad set 

W. «^,,, ,,, ^,,^^ ,;j;. -d u. s^. b aw h.s f.l,ow, and. in substan^ 

toskey aa the mission farm. , ^ "''""'^ "^ 'heir teacher, propb 

_ e ruler and prot.cto,, but thJre is no 

CHAPTER XVIII. r, "^' "f^^^ ^^^ own subsequent 

and Kins,-:.,,.ral KiL of Z ^Tvlrl ^Z^t^'^'^ ""^ be ., received 

-Ae<,y,o„ ana Hobbery-u^tZy ^l! Pf'"*°^«'' "'«"'». Strang rested his 
X^':y^l-'orU-Z,,^:^^^^^^^ Of the Mormon^ 

rr^on Z/.,;'^ ^•''^^---^- After the death of Smith, the Mormon 
Alter tbe deatl, of Joseph Smith i^SnT^'T .^' """"""^ '*"« broken up 
founder of the sect of Mormons at Naufr^^''"*^^ "' 'he people. ui,der the 
voo, in 18H several aspirant!' Lr ^el iy'ftrn/.r-^*'^'"" ^""°«' --'-' 
honor of being his successor as head o/ 1 . ^" ''"^ *° ^^^h. Smaller 

the Mormon cburcU sprang llu am , « '""«''' '^^"«« '" other pTaJes 

h« follower. Tbe -osr/.^Julof dZt 'fi'^ ^'""*'' ^"' ^'"". ^^S 
the«« was Br.gham Young, wh^^ior'* ''"^ ^"^"^ ^«^'»^'^" or d.s 
^'^-^--^toallieadSaJf^j^;;'- vander.ng i^L 

Wure. Only „i,e other seeT ^ t-T "' '^'''"' ^'^"■■'' '''^"''^ 

have been auccesslui in getting^T rll^ a"f "^'/1 '"''"'^ '^°"«- ^-^i- 
t»«uinga.yoo,„a,,„ble number of ad l^^'T ""^'^ ""'^»^' '«''«"«J at 
herents. '^i^at one was Jame» J stn' f tlH:;?" f'^'"^'^'^«^d Strang to be 
Whose adventurous project of estabS' I S„!.-„ ^ ^'^ ' '""""« "' "' <^- 1 h 

-ganindependeatKingdominnortt of the^ ' ''""•"^ "^P^'"'*'' ''^ 
Micbigan IS so closely interwoven wU J W,^"° ""■"''• 
the history of the Grand Traverse couL Strl '[ ""*•' '^ "*' '^^" "' '^'- "■"« 
try as to require a somewhat extended wf """""'" "''" ""^ object, he 
"^"«'- ^ '''^, f '^'^^ ^"'"'Kh to see that his Jlans 

In February^ 184,, Strang went from iTlL ^ **'"':'*""' '° '^""'^^ ''J-"''ta8e, ) 
hxshome inVoree, W«con»in. to C Lm tT"""?"^ """^ ^'"''»- ^^'"ovti | 
V-. tor the purpose. It is saiU^f iZ- who d s' "f^T" "' ^"^ *^— « 
"^gbmith preach. Within a wUk af^r'the in.T "" «"thonty, and from ' 

hn. airival, be professed to be conve«ldlaflVr'"^ "' "^^ '•Gentiles," as 
to the Mormon faith, and was rl!?^ . I . ''"^ ""'« ' wh,, were livin., outside 
-to the churcii. xLere Z LZl^l^tT ""' *''-^^™ <=hurch. tZ 

Z^ ^^ - — he bad r =- ^^:^--n: 



I The Uaibor at tbe nortu end o. the 

largest island, was selected as th eeu. 

Italpoint for the colony, and the future 
village named St. Ja^ues 

We are not informed at what time the 

fi.at Mormons were transferred to their 

"e.home. A lady. „ bose fati.er was a 

Mormon preacher at.d afterwards be- 

«*^eoneof „,e Twelve A, ostles under 
Strang, «bo came to the island with her 

fathers family in Ju„e. 1843, gives it aa 
her..pin.on that there were not more 

than fiueen families there at that tima 
Another, who had been brought up a 

Mormon. «nj who came «ith her moth- 
nul"",^""' ^^^'^ e^timates^the 
•number of families at that time at twen. 
t^^hve or thirty. From the founding of 
the colon till the breaking up of the 
settlement and disper.on of the Mo'- 
'"ons.n 1856, there seems to hav„ been 
a gradual and steady increase .,t,,.,!Z 
t'ou. I, 1- not probable that there were 

more than 1,300 peisons on the island 

M ol. "•''^^"nen, nor that more 
than 370 of them were legal voter! 
^•rang «.„« pui,,i^,y ^^^^^^ 

the 8tb of July, 1850. 

It might be interesting to inquire 
whether Strang was sincere in his pro- 
Jes^on of conversion to the Mormon 
f«.th m 18,4. o. whether dim visions 
ot ,.ture self aggrand.tement did not at 
that time influence his conduct Be 
that as it may. hia course of action, 
from the time of Smith's death up to his 
own «.sas..inat.on, at Beaver Island, 
twelve years afterward, reveals a settled 
purpose to make himself the absolute 
^^ler Of the faction of Mormons ovex 
whom he had gained an influence. To 
accomplish th.8, he appealed to both the 
best and worst iuatiucts „f human o«. 
turo. 

His subjects consisted of several class- 
es. The most numerous class, but not 
the most influential in the afiairs of the 
church or the commonwealth, wei« the 
sincere beli.vers in the original and 
fundamental doctrines of Mormoni«m 
and ,n his oivine mission and oflSce a^ 
the successor of Joseph S^iti. To 
hem he was really , lophet, priest, and 
Mng His advic-e wa.s sought and fol- 
lowed in all matters, temporal and spir- 
.tual. His word was law. No sacrifice 
I was too great to be made, if the prophet 
advised It ; no crime too revolting to b« 
j committed, if the king commanded it 
j In their view it was no crime. Not on- 
ly could the king do no wrong, but an 
I act in obedience to his authority could 
not be wrong, no matter how cruel or 
"i^justit might be to a "Gentile." or 
how wicked, j.dged bj "OeatiJe" 
standards of morality. 

Another class, comparatively smaU in 
ttttna-w but in iufiu4ai«» mow ^«taBl 



A HISTOUT or THE GRANDT^^^^^ 



thau the former. cou»i«ted of uupriL- ] 
cipled men. whose adherence to Mor- 
mouism arose, liot f.om couviction of its 
truth as a religioas .jstem. but from the 
opportuuities it afforded for niibr.dled 
hoeuse uuder the p.eleuded sauction of 
religu-u. These men were the w.lUng 
toofs of S:raug. WUhont be.ng .hem- | 
selves deceived by his profession of hay- 
ing a divine ccmmiM.o,., they helped to 
fasten the deoeition upou others. Ihe 
most important trusts were sometimes 
committed to persons of tl.is sort, and 
they were usually chosen for leaders in 
the execution of projects likely *« ^*^ 
distasteful to persons of tender con- 
science and large phiUntliropy. 

A third class, neither numerous nor 
influential, cousisted of those «ho were 
at first sincere believers iu Mormou.sm. 
but whose faith Lad been shaken or 
whollv destroyed by ibe doctrines and 
piaolices Uught by Strang and his min- 
ions aud who remHiued upou tbe ujlaud 
from inability to get away. An aposta- 
li«ing or di88ati^fled Mormou might 
leave but he was not aUowed to take 
a«ay his property. That was-couse- 
crated," tLat is, confi caUd for the ben 
efic of the church. 

That polygamy is right, was a doc 
trineof the Mormon a. m.h. It was an 
object of amUtion to be the father of 
many children. Iu etern.'y a man 
would be crowned king over all his 
descendants. Ma.r a^e by the civil 
luw was not held to be binding, but 
only the marrige ordained by the 
church. In the ceremony of the mar- 
riage of the first wife, the officiating 
church officer Mid to each of the parties. 
••You take this woman O^r man) to be 
your lawful wife ^or hu.banJ) in this 
Uie and in the life to come, aud in life 
everlasting, so help yon God." The 
parties having sisnified their asf«nt, he 
then adie.!, "By virtue of authority 
vested in me by the Father. Sou. and 
Holy Ghost. I seal you husband and 
wile in the imiissolable bonds of matri- 
mony " ilu mar i .ge of the first wife 
was public; tl>. of ^i sucoediug wife 
was not. If there was any ceremony 
connected with the latt«r, its nature is 
known only to the initiated. The mar- 
riage bond could oo i,ioken only by tbe 
crime of adultery. 

Lawful concubinage was this: If a 
n»n dieii leaving .... children, his broth 
er should take his wife, accor. lug to the 
Mosaic law. If a man died leaving chil- 
dren, the widow might choose the man 
with whom she preferred to cohabit, and 
the offspring of tbe union were to be the 
children of her deceased husband aud 
LU BnWjects in eternity. If a wu^an 
loved her departel husband, and desired 
to Uonor hi- memory, ahe could do ao m 



;;;;^„,« eHective way than to rauK, up 

children to his name. 

Strang himself was the first to set the 

example of polygamous practices. In 
tbe early period of the settlement of the 
island, many conscientious Mormons 
were assured, at Voree. that he did not 
Approve of polygamy or the "consecrat- 
iug" of property, but on arriving at the 
i^laud fouud him preaching both His 
Uwful wife came with him to St. James, 
but returned to Voree when his open as- 
sociation with other women made her 
po8itio.no longer endurable His sec- 

Idwife war openly ««knowledged " J 
such only after the birth of her first 
c'.ild After that, three others were 
open.y taken. Of the number of concu- 
bines falling to hi. share by tbe volunta- 
ry choice ..I d itif.il wi.losvH. we have no 
authentic record, but it is reasonable to 
conclude that, from the regard in which 
be was held by hU good Mormons, male 
and female, he enjo.ed a monopoly of 
that luxury. 

The number -f i raotical polygamists 
was not lar.e, owing to the fact that the 

supply of available women was limited. 
Young girls, averse to taking the p ace 
ofsecona...tbir.l.vife. found themselves 

continually harrassed with urgent offers 
of polvpauous marriages, sometimes 
seconded by the aut .oriiy of their par 
ents. So nnendurable did th.s sort o 
persecuti ... become, iu some cases, that 
Lperate but n.s.c.-ssf.il e£orts were 
made to eBca..e fr ..u tie island. In oue 
instance, a girl manag. I to get .Ji board 
a steamlK)at that called at the wharf, and 
was locked in a state room, but tie boat 
was deUined by the Mormons till she 
was giv.u up A y......g. """:""^ 

woman dil n.t really have her Uberty^ 
The "c.isecrating" of 'fl ntile" 
proper^^, or, in other words the rob- 
bi.gof tho.o«ho Mere not Mormons 
was a recognised and establishea prac- 
tice, from the eH.L. 8 satlement of the 
island tUl the time of Strang s death. 
It w... the natur I and l.^im.te se- 
quence of the doctrine that the Mor- 
ons were God's peculiar people who 
i alone bad a right to the earth and were 
eventually to , oseees it. and that be 
.. Gentiles" were to be " stricken with a 
continual stroke." The plundering op 
erations were c...a.,cteawi.h the utmos 

system. They were under the control 
of a class of officers, called ...the church 

destroying angeU. but known to the 
outside world by the harmless name of 
1 deacons. Broti.e.s were generally chc- 
,n for de^troJing angels, as be.ng more 
l.telytosundby-acuoiherintimesof 
danger, l.ve.y Mo m..n was under ob- 
Ugation to go on a thiev.ng or iu.«ud- 
i^ expedition, when ordered to d««. 



^JT^;;— i^angel. The d.^Uoying 
aJgels were uuder the immediate direc- 
tion of Strang himself, and the expedi^ 

tions were always organized under hm 
supervision. When any party or indi- 
vidual discovered a good opportunity 
for obtaining plunder, it was reported to 
him, but nothing was done without his 
approval. When booty was brought in 
itwasusualy taken to the residence of 
some one participating in the expedi- 
tion, where a d.vUion was '"^de. one- 
tenth being set apart for tbe u^ of t^ 
church. The remaiLing nine-tenths bo- 
Icame the property of the Pl""<i«^"»^ 
It was the usual practice, however, to 
' sell it. so th..t those in -^ose possession 
it should be found, if accused of theft, 
could ckim tbe immunity from panuib- 
ment accorded to innocent V^'f^ 
In some cases, the greater part of the 
booty was given to tbe church. In or- 
der that the practice of ^'"''^""SJJ" 
••GentUes" might be carried on with 
ease and safety, statio ... cal ed " fort« 
wereestabliKhedin miiny of the towns, 
both Urge and small, on the borders ol 

the lakes. A -fort" was -^««'» »? /^ 
bomeofafamily .ho,ro;es.edtohave 

renounced Mormonism, and to have 
been driven l^om tbe isUn.l by the in- 
censed Mormons iu consequence oi for- 
sakiug .be IVith. Havi g n^eured the 
syn^pltby and confidence of the people 
among whom they seemed to have found 
refuge, their bouse became « «<« ".^^ 
treat for the spies and emissaries of the 
deacons, when engaged if feir work 
andespeciaUy in tims of danger. At 
one time, there were not less than a do^- 
en of these "forte" in the city of Chio^ 

*%herewasan organization called the 
Society of tbe Illuminati. wb^ch regulat- 
ed all the affairs of the church, m which 
were discussed such matters as it was 
not thought prudent to bring before th. 
people. Women were not admitted to 
Cmbership, and only such men as 
could be uusted. It was a truly secret 
Lciety. bound together by the most 
terrible oaths. Of iU interual working 
'we know but little-its secrete have 
been faithfully kept by the initwted. 

There was another society, calle 1 the 
Covenant.-ta<-hich all good Mormon^ 
men and women, were expected to be- 
long The ijiitiatory ceremony was con- 
ductl^d in an evening meeting, called a 
conference. The candidate for member- 
ship laid his hand upon a cross, which 
rested on tbe bible, and swore to aUnd 
by tbe king aud all the rulers, vi*. the 
apostl-B. high i,riest, elders, teachers 
anTdeacons, a.id to sUnd by all the or- 
dinances of the Church, even to Jhe .bed- 
aing of bU blood. Iu case he should 
divulge the secrete of the Covenant to 



S2 



BU^- uue wLo ijad uut taKeu tUe oatu, or 
to any person outsiJe of the cUurch. he 
should suffer the penalty kuown ouly to 
the lUumiuiiti. The Coveuaut had a 
system of grips, used /or the recogn 



^^^^^^25I^!L^?L55^!?^i:RAVERSE REGION. 



Uiiglit be lu some dauger of haviug jus 
tice meted out to them ; within Mormon 
jurisdictiou ihcy were safe. 
Sa complete and p. rfect were the ar- 

tlon of members; and for givTu^ ;;7n"ing "Z^T'T .\"' '"'''"^ "" "" "'^""*"« 
Of the presence of traitors or unsafe per '.^ ''"^'""8 "'"^ roUb^y, tLat 

««">«• j"umen.e quantities of '• consecrated " "^o^t'on that our informant w.. ►", «. 

A school was opened, in a log school- Kl ilTa^d a""! """ '^ "'"'^' "'""«^' '^'"'^^ « "•"" '^^"-o"Tn ^ a^ l^.f; 
bouse, at St. James, wh.le there were 1 A . ., ""r''"' '" Mormon At Voree. Strang Lad .nid to him tha^ 

only a few families in the settlement L ^" ''"'* P"'"'. ^^^ concurrent tes- polygamy and the -.v.nl f •• ! 

Education was oncour.ged A hoZ of L^""', ''^ P"^""'' ""^^ ''^«J ih.r. U.ra Pronlr/w.l ..!... r:'.""^'"'"^ "' 
worship, called the tuberua'cle, was c!m. I ""^^l'^-'-^" "^ "^« ""'""^ "P '" tbe 
■ - ""^«"f Strang's death, and who were in 



l-e.sun^ v,»i„ug ,he inland a-aiuat tue 
^^.sbesofthe Mormon authorities, were 
no .ure of coming off unharmed. The 
following incident, .elated by an old 
gentleman still living on tbe i.land, il- 
lu^trates .he point. It i, proper to 
mention that our informant went to St 



menced at an early d.y. but was nevjr 
finished. A room in the basement was 
completed, in which leligious services 
jere beld. Saturday was the Mormon 
Sabbath. '"■ 



religious services wae similar to that pre 
vailing in orthodox churches. The 
M.-rmons took pride in the excellence of 
their singing. Their hymns were all 
such as had been composed by Mor- 
ttons. The Book of Mormon wa, gener 



„ y «...« fi u\j wc;i~t; III 

pusitions to know the facts, is conclu- 

eiTe. The plunder seen by tbem. and 

portions of which some of them used 

consisted of dry goods, leathe •, lisbing 

short. 



The manner of conducting l^^^'f ' "*' Jry goods, leathe •. 
3rvices wae similar to that ore T ' "':'"'• ^^^'^-auj thing, in 



be 



pur- 



of practical Value, tlrnt could 
loinei with comparative Safety. 

Horses were Molen „t a distance, and 
brouglit home on the steamboats wh.eb 
sometimes touched at St. James. At 
one time, seve.al head of cattle were 



an. used, instead of the bible thouTb stlen "LT'I '"' "' '""'*' -"^'^ 
eometimestbepreacherselectedhistext Lnl and ^'"^''''\'^'^^ °" '^- «ain 
from tbe latter. Stranvr cen!r 11 \ ^"''''•.>«J I" tbe island. A 

p-obed When at home,";!ugrhS 'T::ii^:^zL^r:::-T' 

wl.o,„ „ preachers, mmy ot building burned to hide tbe theft Tl,„ 



property were of the devil, but on ar- 
r.v.ng at St James be was astonisbed to 
hnd him teaching tbe legality of both. 
He lo.t faitb in him immediately, but 
could see no way to get off A Mormon 

-u'gbti.aNe. but his, roperty could net 
be taken away; tbat must remain, to be 
cousecra.ed." He had a lar«e family. 
«^d could not afford to lo.e all hi. means 
of support, so he lemaiued. He con- 
tinued to pass for a Mo.mon. and was 
recognized by them as one of tbem- 
selves. He thinks, Lowever. tbat thev 
bad little couKdence in him. We g.ve 
tbe account nearly in his own words 



ai-d the Seventy. He alvrays appeare'd 
at church plainly dressed, sometimes 
even going there barefooted. 



CHAPTER xrx 

Pretended Loyalty lo the State-Uor. 

rnon Deprcdatioua—IL.rse.s and 

Cattle atolcn- Tannery R,.bbtdand 

£urned~J'irac-y.-Mtn Mobbed ,„ 

' '^"'""-l^" re.nining ,o 8t. James, with theH- 



mons were not su.spec ed at the time 
A small Vessel, or "hooker." loaded with 
wbitthsb. wa. robbed, scuttled, and 
sunk. Thelateof the vessels as ior a 
Jung time a matter of conjectuie to tbe 
outside world. As «he never returned 
to port, she was supposed to have been 
ost. The fate of the unfortunate crew 
has remained a secret with those who 
authorized and executed the robbery 



tuh^rmen and Refugees at Pine 

Rtvcr—A Battle. 
While it was understood by all good 
Mormons that allegiance was due only 
to the king, an outward appearance oS 
oyalty to tbe state or Micbi^an was care- 
f^ly maintained. County and township 
officers were elected according to the 
state ccnstitution, courts were held, and 
tbe forms of state law observed But 

even tbe machinery of legal government 
was converted into an instrument for the 
aggrandizement of Stran.. ^he protec 

tionolMormo:.s in their villainies, and 
tbe harrassingof tbe -Gentiies." StrauK 

was elected a member of tbe state le^ie 
lature t.y fraudulent votes. Car. tas 
-akeu that courts, juries, and civil offi- 
cers should always be under Mormon 
i..flaence. Ve.atious la^vsu.ts were 



own boat loaded w„h as u.uch of tbe 
booty as it could carry, repoited tbat 
tbey Lad set them on shore. The wives 
ot tLe robbers believed they had mur- 
dered them. 

It is not probable that the Mormons 
were guilty of every ca*e of wrong 
charged to them. On the other hand 
" 18 not probable that their worst deeds' 



"Some men by the name of Martin 
were compelled by stress of weather t<l 
laud on the island. A watch was always 
kept, to report tie approach of stran- 
gers. The arrival of the Martins bein^ 
reported. Strang, with a party of men 
went to interview them. Chris Scott' 
wbo was a secret friend of mine, was one 
of tbe parly, and gave me an account of 
wbat was done. Un arriving at the 
Mace where the Martins uere, some of 
tbe party proposed putting them to 
I death, but tbe measure was strongly op- 
posed by Strang. It was finally decided 
( by vote tha, tbey should be robbed of 
j everything and set adrift. Accordingly 
! eveiytbing valuable was taken out of the 
boat, tbe men were forced into it. and it 
was shoved off As it was shoved off. 
Chris threw into it » pair of oars." 

The "Gentile" fishermen, of whom 
there were a considerable number on the 
islands and the adjacent shores, suff-red 
inure or less f,om tbe depredations of 
ibeMoraaons. Not being strong enough 
to resist successfully, they were often 
compelled to submit to such exactions 



in all >i . "'' "•^'^'^i-^. I compelled to submit to 

Z g .^ T:"rf • e'xTnt"^'^" ""'""'' ' "^ """ '^"' "'^"" ^'^-- ^ <"'-"— 



favorite means of makin. .roubi? " T"""' ^*"'' "" *=^"'*'" "*' '"« Pi'-tical 
• I/I 11 .. "»ttniu{{ 'loublesome chaiBctHr <>f fi „ m 

Gentiles" and pseudo-Mormons feel f 1 . ."'!'", ^°"""'"« "^"' ^bey 



• in XI .. "—n.ug uouuiesome 

Gentiles and pseudo-Mormons feel 
the displeasure of the king and tbe 
cburcb. The destroying angels and 
th^ emissaries, if arresu^d abroad 



earned on, is not known. " L>ead men 
'ell no tales." During a considerable 
period previous to Strang's death, sev- 
eral vessels were lost, none of the c.ews 
ever returning to tell their fate. It was 
Kenerally believed tbat they had been 
plundered by the Mormons, the crews 
murdered, and the vessels sunk Some 
captains Were so certain* f the piratical 



fcaied to become 1 ecalmed in the vicin- 
ity ot the islands, and would lie to and 
wait for a good sttUxng treeze. before 

.JiPptOjching thntr. 



quoted above, will illustrate the relation 
that existed between the '-Gentile" res- 
idents of the Moimon kingdom and the 
Mormons. It may aLo serve to show 
how those Mormons, or those who pass- 
ed lor Mormons, whose sense of right 
would not periLit them to engage in. the 
current unlawful practices enjoined by 
the cburcb, were comjielled to perform 
the parts assigned them. As before, we 
give the narrative nearly in his own 
Words. 

•'A man named Martin, (not one of 
th» Mjittiua mentioned ia a preceding 



A HISTORY or THE QRAITD TRAVERSE REGION. 



8S 



parugrapU,) was fishing at tbe head of 
the islaud. At the beKiuuiug of winter, 
be packed up liis property, huuled his 
boats out on tbe bench, and left all iu 
the care of uue of his men. One Satur- 
day, Strang preached a very able cer- 
mou, advocating the right and duty of 
"consecrating," and declariuff he would 
not ask others to do what he would not 
do himself. The next day Silas Miller, 
who was a 'Gentile,' and myself went to 
Saud Bay, after hay. There we found 
one of Martin's boats, loadt^ with his 
own property, stuck in tlie ice, near the 
sboce, and Strang and old Gen. Miller 
drying themselves by a fire, lu a shanty. 
They appeared to have been in the wa- 
ter. On returning to the village, Strang 
and Gen. Miller sent out teams to bring 
in the goods, but boat and goods were 
missing. Tbe man in whose care they 
bad been left, discovering the theft, had 
followed to Sand Bay, and, arriving af- 
ter the departure of Strang and Miller, 
bad taken the property back home. 
The next day, a party was organized un 
der Oen. Miller, to go to Martin's and 
recover salvage on the goods, Strang 
and Miller pretending that they had 
found tbe boat abandoned in the ice. I 
was ordered to accompany the party 
with my team, to bring home the goods. 
I made excuses, but was given to under- 
stand I must go. Thinking to get rid 
of it, I hid m}' harness, and started with 
my horses for the interior of tbe island. 
A party of ten or twelve men pursued 
me. Finding that I should be overtaken, 
and concluding that final escape was im- 
possible, I turned back and met them, 
saying if they would not force me, I 
would go. They replied that that was 
all they wanted. A strong party went 
to Martin's. We found there ten or 
twelve fishermen, some of whom seemed 
to be putting their guns in order. Our 
party was received in a friendly manner. 
After a little time, Gen. Miller an- 
nounced our business — to get salvage on 
tbe goods. Tbe man in whose charge 
Martin bad left them, but whose name I 
have forgotten, asked how much. Mil- 
ler said tbey would look over tbe goods 
and see. Tbe goods were accordingly 
looked over, and Miller took what he 
pleased, which we carried back to the 
village. Tbe fishermen were well aware 
that resistance, must, in the end, result 
disastrously to themselves." 

In tbe di£BcultieB between the fisher- 
men and the Mormons, the latter, 
though numerically much tbe stronger 
and generally successful, d-d not in ev- 
ery case get the liest of it. At Pine Riv- 
er, on one occasion', tbey met with a se- 
rious rt- pulse. 

Pine River seems to have been a fav- 
orite resort for tbe fishermen, and a 



commuLi,y respectable for numbers had 
OjUectcd there. Capt. T. D. Smith bad 
an establishment in tbe bay, southwest 
of the moutb of the river, between it 
and Pine River Point. There were four 
more west of Smith, between him and 
the point, three at the moutb of the riv- 
er, and one half a mile farther north. 
These were not simply bachelors' homes, 
but contained families of women and 
children. There were also two other 
families, who had been Mormons, but 
had renounced Mormonism and escaped 
from the island.. Their names were 
Hull and Savage. They had made their 
escape by pretending to embark, with 
Strang's approval, for Drummoud's isl- 
and, where be proposed to plant a colo- 
ny. Ouce on tbe lake, they bad laid 
their course for Pine River, and asked 
the protection of the fishermen. The 
fishermen had promised protection, pro- 
vided the fugitives would help to pro- 
tect themselves. 

One of the fishermen, named Moon, 
had had a serious difficulty with the 
Mormons. To get Hull, Savage, and 
Moon into their power, seems to have 
been thought important by the Mormon 
leaders. Knowing that either stratagem 
or force would have to be employed, 
they still thought it prudent to proceed 
under color of law. The time of the sit- 
ting of the circuit court at St. James 
was chosen for tbe execution of the 
project. An armed party, accompanied 
by an officer with a subpoena for tbe 
three men, embarked for Pine River. 

There was a quilting at tbe bouse of a 
fisherman named Morrison, at the mouth 
of the river, on tbe south side, at which 
all the women of the settlement were 
assembled. Some of the men had gone 
up Pine lake. Nearly all the others 
were in the "other end of the town," as 
the westernmost houses in tbe settle- 
ment were called. Two boats were seen 
approaching, beading for the mouth of 
the river. It was noticed that they 
seemed careful to keep close together. 
One of the fishermen had a spy-glass, 
by the aid of which he was able to count 
the strangers. There were nine men in 
each boat. Tbe circumstances looked 
suspicious, and the fishermen deter- 
mined to ascertain at once tbe object of 
the visit. 

Between them and the river there was 
a stretch of beach where it was difficult 
to pass between the water and tbe bank. 
Launching a boat, ten or twelve men, 
seizing their weapons, Rprang into it, 
and rowed past tbe difficult place. 
Then they landed, and proceeded on 
foot, following tbe beach till they reach- 
ed the sand hillocks, when tbey turned 
into tbe woods, where they struck a 
path that led over tbe bluff and down to 



Morrison's house. The Mormons had 
ai lived before them, and bad been blus- 
tering about, declaring they would have 
what they came after or they would 
wade in blood. The women were terri- 
bly frightened. On the arrival of tho 
fishermen, tbe Mormons ceased their 
threats, and said tbey had not come to 
make any trouble, but insisted on hav- 
ing the three men for whom tbey claim- 
ed to have subpceuas. Tbey were at 
once distinctly told they could not have 
them. This was followed, as the fisher- 
men learned from tbe women the pur- 
port of the Mormons' threats, by an in- 
timation that the best thing they could 
do was to leave immediately, and that if 
they did not go voluntarily, they would 
be made to go. The Mormons prudent- 
ly consented to leave, and went to their 
boats. Among the fishermen was a 
young man, named Loui" Get>oo, who 
bad lived a year or two on tbe island, 
and now recognized some of his former 
acquaintances in the Mormon party. 
Thinking the danger of a collision was 
over, young Geboo started for the beach, 
where the Mormons were embarking, 
for tbe purpose of speaking to those he 
bad formerly known. When half way 
to the beach, it occurred to him that, as 
a matter of precaution, be ought to 
know that his gun was ready for effect- 
ive use. Stopping a moment to exam- 
ine it, he heard the sound of a gun, and 
felt tbe bullet strike bis leg. He learned 
afterwards, from bis acquaintances in 
the Mormon party, that the shot was 
fired from a horse pistol by Jonathan 
Pierce, one of Strang's "bard-fist«d 
men," who accompanied the act with 
the exclamation, "We are running away, 
like a set of d — d cowards ; I'll let them 
know that I'm not afraid." As Geboo 
started to limp back to bis own party, 
the latter opened fire on tbe Mormons, 
who got away with the utmost haste, 
and were soon beyond gunshot. There 
is no evidence that they returned the 
fire. Three of their number were se- 
verely wounded. The fishermen manned 
a boat, and went in pursuit. As they 
again got within rifle range, seven or 
eight miles out on the lake, tbe Mor- 
mons took refuge on board a vessel, 
which, fortunately, was lying there be- 
calmed. 

A few days afterward, a rumor reached 
the fist/eruieu that an expedition of s 
huudreo men was fitting out at tbe isl- 
and, to come over and punish them 
There cuulu be no hope of successfully 
resisting such a force. There was no 
other way than to fly. Fortunately tbe 
little steamer Columl)ia came in. Tbe 
fishermen put on board their families 
and effects, and left, only Alvab Cable 
remaining a short time longer. When 

9 



34 



A HI8TORT OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



he went away, the Piue River region 
was left without a ^ white iuhabitaut. 
Most of the lisherraen went to Washing- 
tou island, at the mouth of Green bay, 
but some oi them to other places. 



CHAPTER XX. 
Mr. Dixon and family at Pine River 
— The Mormons Alre.odg There — 
Reorganization of Emmet County — 
The First Township Meeting— 
Cowity Election Controlled by Mor- 
mons From Beaver /stand — Prop- 
erty Stoltn — Mormon Picnic on 
Holy Island — Intimidation — Mr. 
and Mrs. Sterling — The Vfomen Left 
Alone — A Mor7non Plundering Par- 
ty — Preparation for Defense —A 
Night of Watching. 
Mr. John S. Dixon, with his family, 
arrived at the mouth of Pine river, 
of Charlevoix 



current of the river was so rapid that 
the boat, when loaded, could not be 
propelled against it, and the banks were 
so obstructed by overhanging tiees, 
brushwood, and fallen timber as to make 
towing impossible The three days 
were spent in clearing a path along the 
south margin of the stream. Then, by 
towing, the family and goods were trans- 
ported up the river, and landed on the 
north shore, just where the stream leaves 
Round lake. 

On his arrival at Pine river, Mr. Dix- 
on found five Mormon families living in 
the vicinity, who had settled there since 
the place was abandoned by the fisher- 
men. If aty of them were not Mormons, 
they were at least under Mormon influ- 
ence. On landing, he was met by some 
of the young men with the question, 
"What have you come here for," ac- 



where the village of CJUarlevoix is now j companied by plain indications that he 
situated on the 11th day of May, 1855, ^^^ ^^, welcome. There had been sev- 
m the little schooner Emeline, which eral fisherman's shanties on his premises, 
had been chartered to bring him from One of them was still standing and in a 
Old Mission. The party consisted of I good state of preservation, when he 
Mr. and Mrs. Dixon and their three ' landed from the Emeline, and he had 
children, Mr. Wolcott. who had come hoped to occupy it, but before he sue- 
with a view to a business partnership 



with Mr. Dixon, and Frank May, a 
young man who had been hired at North - 
port. 

Mr. Dixon's purchase of a considera- 
ble tract of land, lying on Pine river and 
Round and Piue lakes, had been con- 
summated a year before, and he had 
left Lansing with the intention of occu- 
pying it ; but receiving at Mackinac in- 
formation, which he deemed reliable, of 
the depredations of the Mormons and 
the danger he would incur by attempt- 
ing to settle in the territory over which 
they claimed jurisdiction, he had been 
induced to defer his project, and had 
passed the year at old Mission. With- 
in that time, he had visited Lansing, 
while the legislature was in session, and 
procured the passage of an act for the 
reorganization of Emmet county. By 
the terms of the act, the islands in Lake 
Michigan which had been a part of Em- 
met were detached from it, and organ- 
ized into a new county, called Manitou. 
The object of the move was to prevent 
all legal interference with the affairs of 
Emmet by Strang and his followers. 

No sooner were Mr. Dixon's party and 
efifects landed on the beach, than the 
captain of the Emeline, who was in bad 
odor with the Mormons, fearing an at- 
tack, set sad, and the schooner soon dis- 
appeared in the distance. Mr. Dixon 
had brought with him a considerable 
amount of supplies, including a small 
boat and a quantity of lumber. Of the 
latter a temporary residence was built 
on the beach, in which the family re- 
mained for the next three days. The 



ceeded in getting up the river with his 
goods, the Mormons had torn it down. 
However, he soon had it so far rebuilt 
as to be able to occupy it as a temporary 
dwelling. 

The act of the legislature reorganizing 
the county of Emmet, divided it into 
several townships, and provided for 
holding the first township meetings and 
the first election of county oflicers. The 
township meetings in all the town- 
ships except Charlevoix, were to be held 
on the first Tuesday in May ; that in 
Charlevoix on the last Tuesday in May. 
The county election was to be held on 
the first Tuesday in Jnne. Neither the 
township meeting nor the county elec- 
tion was observed ia any township ex- 
cept Charlevoix. Mr. Dixon served as 
clerk of election at the township meeting 
in that township. There were eight le- 
gal voters present, five of whom be- 
longed to the five Mormon families in 
the vicinity ; the other three were Mr. 
Dixon, Mr. Wolcott, and Frank May. 
Several Mormons from the island weie 
present, but did not think it necessary 
to vote, as the legal vote stood five Mor- 
mons to three "Gentiles." Of course a 
Mormon township board was elected. 
At the time of the county election, 
which occurred one week afterward, 
about fifty Mormons came over to Char- 
levoix from Bearer Island, and were al- 
lowed by the recently elected township 
board to vote. 

As there was no township meeting 
held in any township but Charlevoix, of 
course the supervisor elected in that 
township was the only one in the county. 



j According to the view the Mormons 
I chose to take of it, he constituted the 
I board of supervisors. In the following 
I autumn, this board of one man, doubt- 
less acting under instructions from Mor- 
mon headquarters, procetJed to con- 
struct several new townships in the 
county. The record, which looks inno- 
cent on the face of it. is found in the 
appendix to the session laws of 1857, 
where Galen B. Cole, as chairman of the 
board, and George T. Preston, as county 
clerk, certify that the several acts for 
the organization of the new townships 
were passed by a majority of votes of 
all the members elected to the board of 
supervisors, upon due notice and appli- 
cation according to law, at an adjourned 
sitting of the annual meeting of the 
board of supervisors, the 22d day of 
October, 1855. What ulterior measures 
the Blormon leaders had in view in this 
proceeding, can only be surmised. It it 
was a preparation for carrying out ia 
the future a far-reaching scheme for 
keeping the county under the complete 
political control of their own party, 
which seems probable, the death of 
Strang and the breaking up of the Mor- 
mon kingdom, the following year, put 
an end to it. Of the townships organ- 
ized in this questionable manner, two, 
Evangeline and Eveline, retain their 
names, and one of them, Eveline, its 
original boundaries, at the present day. 
Mr. Wolcott. seeing there was likely 
to be continual trouble with the Mor- 
mons, threw up the project of a busi- 
ness partnership, and left the place. 

For a few weeks, the current of events 
seemed to run smoothly, no ripple on 
the surface being caused by anything of 
greater importance than the loss of a 
new lumber wagon and three sugar ket- 
tles, stolen by the Mormons. The wag- 
on had come on board a vessel, by way 
of Mackinac. It was not immediately 
put together for use, but, with the ket- 
tles, was stowed away in an old shanty 
used for an outhouse. Two weeks after- 
ward, having occasion to use it. the 
theft was discovered. On mentioning 
the loss to some of the Mormons, they 
denied, with a calmness and self-control 
that was almost convincing, having any 
knowledge of it. Two of the women, 
however, when the subject was spoken 
of in their presence, by theii visible agi- 
tation convinced Mr. Dixon that they 
were in the secret. Careful inquiries 
and the course of subsequent events, 
seemed to make it certain that nearly all 
the men in the vicinity we e privy to 
the theft. Some of the women, particu- 
larly the two alluded to above, had 
strenuously opposed and denounced the 
proceeding. Mr. Dixon eventually re- 
covered the wagon and two of the kot- 



A HISTOnT OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



ties, which were found on Beaver islaud, 
after the breaking up of the Mormon 
settlement. 

The eighth of July waa observed by 
the Mormons as their j^irincipal holiday, 
it beiu{< the anniversary of Strang's cor- 
onation. The present summer, a day or 
two alter the general celebration at Bea- 
ver island, about fifty men and women, 
with Strang among them, cume over to 
jfine River, on a sort of picnic excur- 
bion. The real object of the expedition, 
probably, as would seem to appear from 
their proceedings, was to make an im- 
pression upon, and intimidate, the new 
"G«ntile" settlers, who had had the 
temerity to locate within what they 
claimed as Mormon territory. Mr. Dix- 
on had received from a friendly Mormon 
a hint that his oxen were to be "sacri- 
ficed," that is, they wtjre to be slaugh- 
tered, to contribute to the dinner of the 
picnic party. Profiting by the hint, he 
had taken the precaution to send them 
to Mr. Porter, at Bear Creek, for safety. 

The party passed with their boats up 
Pine lake, entered the south arm, and 
spent the night on the little island, two 
miles beyond the entrance, to which 
they gave the name it has since borne of 
Holy Island. When they returned, the 
next day, Mrs. Dixon noticed that some 
of the boats were towing long timbers. 
Mr. Dixon was absent. As the boats, 
with the timbers in tow, passed down 
the river in front of the house, in charge 
of a few of the men, the other members 
of the party filed along the path, back of 
the house, towards the mouth of the 
river, having landed from the boats at 
the residence of one of the Mormon fam- 
ilies, on the shore of Pine lake. Sus- 
pecting mischief and being somewhat 
alarmed, Mrs. Dixon resolved to ascer- 
tain what was going forward. A Mor- 
mon neighbor to whom she applied, de- 
clined to give her any information, but 
said if she wished to go and ascertain 
for herself, she would not be harmed. 
Following the patty down towards the 
mouth of the river, she found that they 
had crossed to the south side, and were 
standing in a group, on an elevation, 
with Strang in their midst. Some of 
the men were busying themselves with 
drawing the timbers out of the water, 
and one was bringing a spade. Asking 
what they were going to do, she re- 
ceived for reply that they were about to 
erect a gallows, on which should be 
hanged all who violated their laws. 
Frightened at what seemed impending 
danger, Mrs. Dixon returned to the 
hoose. 

After the Mormons had gone, the gal- 
lows was found standing, with four 
roughly carved woodt-u images of men 
hanging by the neck, and another stand- 



as 

=3 



ing erect on top of the frame. On one 
of them was the figure ef a cofiSn, drawn 
with red chalk, and three men walking 
away from it, with this inscription : 
"Dixon, successor to the Pine River 
murderers, in his dying hours aban- 
doned by his friends. " On another was 
the inscription, " May his days be few, 
and his name be lost and blasted from 
among men. God hear our prayers, 
and those of our wives and children, for 
vengeance." 

In the course of the summer, Mr. 
Wm. Sterling, his wife and infant child, 
arrived from Elk Rapids, and were re- 
ceived into the house occupied by the 
Dixons. There was also an addition of 
four families to the Mormon population, 
two of which settled at the mouth of the 
stream since called Porter's creek, where 
Advance is now situated, and the others 
on the opposite side of the lake, at 
Bay Springs. 

Messrs. Dixon and Sterling conceived 
the project of building a saw-mill on 
Pine river. It was proposed to build a 
dam on the lower river, at some point 
between Round lake and Lake Michigan. 
It was thought advisable that the mar- 
gin of the stream and of Round lake 
should first be cleared of driftwood and 
fallen timber, which could be conven- 
iently accomplished only by the aid of a 
scow. Accordingly, a quantity of clear 
stufi" pine plank, for building a scow, 
was brought from Elk Rapids, and piled 
up on the bank of the river, ready for 
use. 

Soon after the lumber was received, it 
happened that both men were absent on 
business, Mr. Dixon at the mission at 
Bear creek and Mr. Sterling at Mackin- 
ac. Prank May had left Mr. Dixon's 
employ some time before, so the women 
and children were alone. On a Satur- 
day, the Mormons held religious service, 
at the house of one of their number, at 
which their preacher dilated upon and 
defended the practice of "consecrating" 
the property of "Gentiles." It does 
not appear that either Mrs. Dixon or 
Mrs. Sterling was present at the meet- 
ing, or that thoy knew till afterward of 
the preacher's discourse. They were, 
however, in the absence of their hus- 
bands, sufficiently afraid of violence to 
provide for defense. 

At a late hour on Saturday night, they 
had barred the door and retired to bed, 
Mrs. Sterling in the garret and Mrs. 
Dixon below. Suddenly the latter was 
startled by the sound of what seemed to 
be the splashing of a paddle in the wa- 
ter. Springing from bed and peering 
cautiously out of the window, she saw 
three men landing from a cance. They 
wore tall, pointed hats, such as she had 
seen worn by the men of the Mormon 



families (hat had gone up Pine lake. 
Believing they were bent on mischief, 
she called Mrs. Sterling, and the two 
made snch preparations as they could 
for defense. Mrs. Dixon had already 
learned to load and discharge a gun. 
Gathering up all the weapons at hand, 
they found themselves in possession of a 
double-barreled gun, a pistol, a carving 
knife, afid two or three axes. Armed 
with these, they stationed themselves by 
the door, determined to give the invad- 
ers a warm reception, should they at- 
tempt to force an entrance. But the en- 
emy had business elsewhere than at the 
house that night. It was the pile of 
valuable pine plank on the shore that 
was the object of their expedition. 
Watching stealthily from the window, 
the women saw them commence loading 
it into Mr. Dixon's boat. When they 
were seen taking the boat, Mrs. Dixon 
asked, not in the coolest manner imagin- 
able, "Shall I shoot?" Mrs. Sterling 
advised her not to shoot, unless they 
came near the house, saying that if they 
were only after property and did not in- 
tend personal violence, it was better to 
iet them go. 

Mrs. Sterling was a spiritualist. While 
the danger seemed to be imminent, she 
held bravely to carnal weapons, but 
when it became evident that there was 
to be no immediate attack upon the 
house, she bethought herself of other 
means of defense than the ax and carv- 
ing knife. Laying down the latter, she 
knelt by a chair, placing the tips of her 
fingers on the front edge of the seat, and 
called on God and the spirits for protec- 
tion. In answer to the question asked 
of the latter whether she and her com- 
panion were safe from violence, the 
chair repeatedly tipped an affirmative 
response. Though Mrs. Dixon had no 
faith in the intervention of spirits, Mrs. 
Sterling's earnestness and the favorable 
responses indicated by the movements 
of the chair, as she many years after- 
wardH confessed, went fur towards re- 
assuring her. 

Finally, the men having loaded the 
boat with all it could carry, threw the 
remainder of the plauk into the river, 
and withdrew up the lake. 

The women watched all night. Mrs. 
Sterling repeatedly declared that as soon 
as daylight appeared, she would take 
her baby, and endeavor to make her 
way to Bear creek, by following the 
beach. It was evident that both women 
could nut go — with all the children they 
would never be able to get through. 
Mrs. Dixon, being a rapid and enduring 
pedebtriau, proposed that Mrs. Sterling 
should remain with the children, while 
she should undertake, the hazurdoua 
wouruey, promising that, if the Lord 



36 



A HWTOnr OF THE QltAmJ TKAVEESE KEQION. 



would let her go tUiuiigli. tibe would 
Bend btilp that sbouUl reaub Mrs. Ster- 
liog by nine o'clock iu the eveoiDg. 
Mrs. Sterling bad the good seuse to see 
tbe wisdom of tbe plan, aud finally con- 
sented to tbe arran>(effleut. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

A£/». Dixon's Journey — Difficultie» of 

the Way — Surprise at Bean Creek 

— lieturn to Pine Jiiver — A Coitra- 

ffeous Woman's Stratagem — A Part 

of (he Stolen Property Found — The 

Mormons Commence a Lawsuit — 

Sterling Leaves — Arrival of Pratt 

— A Consultation— Women and 

Children Sent Away — Arrival of 

Friends — Watching for Thieves — 

Pine River Abandoned By the 

'• Gentiles." 

In tbe morning, as soon as it was 

ligbt eaough to see to travel, Mrs. Dix 

on, armed with the pistol, set out on her 

journey to Bear Creek. It is fully eigb 

teen miles from tbe point of starting, 

now Charlevoix village, to tbe mission 

farm at Bear Creek, near tbe present 

site of Petoskey, by tbe nearest wagon 

road of modern times. At tbe time of 

which we write, there was no road — not 

even an Inuian trail that a woman could 

follow. Mrs. Dixon's only way was to 

go down to tbe mouth of tbe river, aud 

then follow the beach, through all its 

sinuosities, to her destination. 

Those who, in tbe primitive days of 
northern Michigan, performed long foot 
tourneys on the beacb, could tell, if they 
were to speak, bow the bendings of tbe 
shore in and out add to tbe distance 
They could tell, too, of difficulties at- 
tending that mode of travel, of which 
their drsfiendauts, never having been 
driven to it by necessity, have no just 
conception. Sometimes tbe traveler 
strikes a stretch of smooth sand, packed 
by the receding waves to the solidity of 
a pavement, that answers to bis tread 
with a sharp, ringing, metalic sound, as 
be moves easily and rapidly forward. 
Then, for miles, loose sand, drifted 
about by tbe wind, in which his feet 
sink at every step, makes even tbe slow- 
est progress toilsome. Piles of drift- 
wood, fallen timber, and overhanging 
trees, gnarled and twisted into fantastic 
forms by the fury of the elements, ob- 
struct bis way. Jutting crags block up 
tbe passage. Perpendicular precipices 
rise from tbe very margin of tbe lake, 
leaving no room for even the narrowest 
path. Often be must take to tbe water 
or, if it is above bis depth, leave the 
beacb and face bis way through thick* 
ets almost impenetrable, on tbe land. 
The beach as a highway, however, has 
one excellence in advance of ordinary 
new-country roads — on it the traveler 
CAB not los« hia way. 



Ouce on tbe beacb, Mrs. Dixon pressed 
rapidly forward, wading round obstruc- 
tions, where the water was shallow, in 
preference to climbing over them. It 
seemd to take less time, and time was 
precious. The priats of her husband's 
feet were seen iu tbe sand, where be 
bad pacsed along a day or two before. 
Finding the tracks was like meeting 
company on that lonely shore. At Kab- 
gab cbe-wing there bad formerly been 
an ludian settlemeut. It was now de- 
serted. Here she lost her husband's 
tracks. Thinking he might have left 
the beach for a trail, she sought for 
them in vain in tbe intricate net work of 
the grass-grown and almost obliterated 
paths of the village. Beturning, she 
pursued her way along tbe beacb, feel- 
ing more lonely than before. Beyond 
Kah-gab-cbe-wing a vessel had been 
lost. It was known that a company of 
men bad been for some time at work 
there, trying to raise tbe wreck. She 
had hoped to find them, but their camp 
was deserted. Farther on, where per- 
pendicular cliffs rise from the very mar- 
gin of tbe water, she could no longer 
follow the beach. Ascending to the top 
of the bluff, she found the country cov- 
ered with a dense, tangled swamp, which 
it seemed almost impossible to pene- 
trate. No path could be found, but go 
through she must. For full three hours, 
as she estimated the time, she struggled 
onward, being careful to keep within 
bearing of the sound of the waves dash- 
ing against the foot of tbe cliff. When, 
finally, she emerged .into more open 
ground, her pistol was lost, her shoes 
were nearly torn off her feet, and her 
clothing bung in shreds about her per- 
son. When within three miles of Bear 
Creek, she came upon an inhabited wig- 
wam. Making tbe old Indian, Pa-ma- 
saw, understand that she wished to go 
to Mr. Porter's, he kindly sent with her 
a little boy as guide. Path there was 
none, but only a blind trail, such as 
none .but an Indian or an experienced 
backwoodsman could follow. 

It was communion day at the Mission. 
Eev. Peter Dougherty being present to 
officiate. The congregation were just 
collecting at the chapel for afternoon 
service, when Mrs. Dixon arrived. It 
was, perhaps, one or two o'clock p. m. 
The interest excited by her appearance 
and her story of the doings at Pine Elv- 
er, broke up tbe meeting for tbe time. 
Mrs. Dixon was quickly provided with 
refreshments by tbe ladies of Mr. Por- 
ter's family. Mr. Porter held a consul- 
tation with the Indians as to what it was 
proper to do. Tbe result was a decision 
that three Indians, well armed, should 
man one of their boats, and return with 
Mr. and Mrs. Dixon immediately. The 
party were not long in getting off^ The 



wiud was fair, and they arrived at Pine 
Biver a little before nine o'clock iu tbe 
evening. 

During Mrs. Dixon's absence, Mrs. 
Sterling, with an ingenuity and courage 
which, it she had been a man, inigbt, 
under favorable circumstances, have 
made her a leader iu tbe devices and in- 
trigues of war, had adopted an artifice 
to deceive tbe enemy with a false show 
of force. Disguising herself iu her 
husband's clothes, she walked about, 
where she would be likely to be seen by 
some of the Mormons, changing the suit 
several times in the course of tbe day, 
to give tbe impre.ssion that there were 
several men stopping at the bouse. 

Tbe plank stolen or thrown into the 
river by tbe Mormons on Saturday 
night, bad been piled up ou the south 
side of tbe river. There was another 
pile ou the north side, nearly in front of 
tbe house. Thinking that the maraud- 
ers would return for it under cover of 
night, Mr. Dixon and bis ludian allies 
organized a watch. In the middle of 
tbe night a sound was heard, such as 
might have been made by carelessly 
moving tbe lumber. Tbe Indians imme- 
diately gave tbe alarm. On going out, 
Mr. Dixon saw several men near the 
pile of plank. Hailing them, be was 
answered iu a voice which be recognized 
as Mr. Sterling's, notwithstanding tbe 
effort of the speaker to disguise it. Mr. 
Sterling, returning from Mackinac, bad 
reached Bear creek a few hour- after tbe 
departure of Mr. Dixon's party. Learn- 
ing tbe state of affairs at home, and 
fearing, as Mr. Dixon bad done, a re- 
turn of tbe marauders, be had hired 
some Indians with a boat to bring him 
through. On landing, presuming that 
somebody would be on guard, he bad 
ventured to indulge in the somewhat 
dangerous amusement of causing an 
alarm by pretending to move the lum- 
ber. 

Tbe next morning, Messrs. Dixon and 
Sterling resolved to make an effort to 
recover tbe stolen property. One of the 
Indians was induced to accompany them 
with his boat in tbe proposed expedi- 
tion up Fine lake. The others returned 
to Bear creek. The three men were 
well armed. On their way up the lake, 
they met two Mormons coming down. 
Ou being questioned, they denied all 
knowledge of tbe missing prooerty. At 
tbe mouth ol Porter's creek, tbe lumber 
was found on tha beach, and near it the 
oars and one ol the thwarts of tbe miss- 
ing boat. Tbe boat could not be found. 
Two Mormons who were present, like 
the two met on tbe lake, denied all 
knowledge of the theft, and asserted 
that the lumber was their own, brought 
by themselves from Beaver island. The 
boat in which tbe party bad come, was 



A HISTOKY OF THE GKAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



»7 



too small to carry away all the lumber. 
Taking a part of it, they prepared to re- 
turn. When all was ready, ftlr. Sterling 
still lingered on the shore. In response 
to Mr. Dixon's earnest request to come 
on board, he proposed that Mr. Dixon 
and the Indian should proceed home- 
ward in the boat, while he should walk 
along the shore. However, Mr. Dixon's 
earnest entreaties at last induced him to 
enter the boat. He then confessed that 
his object in remaining was to kill the 
Mormons and recover the stolen boat. 
The plan he had contemplated was to 
shoot one of them, then threaten the 
other with death, to make him reveal 
the place where the boat was concealed, 
and finally kill him also. 



During Mr. Sterling's stay at Pine 
River, he was inclined to resort to san- 
guinarv measures iu the coiitest with 
the Mormons, but was overruled by the 
milder counsels of Mr. Dixon. The lat- 
ter insisted that personal violence should 
not be resoited to, except in case of 
necessary self-defense. Finally, con 
vinced that the project of building t!: 
mill could not be carried out in peace, 
and his wife being unwilling to remain 
longer, Mr. Sterling dissolved his con- 
nection with Mr. Dixon, and left the 
place. 

In the mean time, the Mormons at 
Porter's Creek commenced a suit against 
Dixon and Sterling, before a Mormon 
justice of the peace at Pine River, for 
the value of the lumber they had seized 
and brought home from the former 
place. The defendants knowing the 
plaintiffs would have everything their 
own way in the trial of the suit, thought 
it better to settle the claim by paying 
for their own property than to risk the 
result. The matter was accordingly ar- 
ranged to the satisfaction of the Mor- 
mons. 

While the project of building the mill 
was still entertained, a correspondence 
had been opened with Mrs. Dixon's 
brother, Mr. Charles Pratt, of Ashta- 
bula, Ohio, who haa some interest in the 
original purchase of the land, with, a 
view to his becoming a partner in the 
undertaking. After Mr. Sterliug's de- 
parture, and before Mr. Pratt's arrival, 
Mr. Dixon, having become thoroughly 
discouraged by the constant annoyance i 
of the Mormons, and feeling his iuabii- j 
ity to successfully oppose force to force, 
or otherwise protect his property against 
their thieving depredations, reluctantly 
came lo the determination to abandon 
the settlement. He accordingly wrote 
to Mr. Lewis Miller, at Old Mission, to 
send a vessel to carry him away. 

One morning the family were awak- 
ened at an early hour by the shrill 
whiatle of a steamboat It came from 



the little steamer Stockman, which had 
arrived at the mouth of the river, having 
on board Mr. Pratt, his sister, and two 
hired men he had brought with him. 
Soon after the landing of Mr. Pratt's 
party, a small sloop appeared, com- 
manded by Capt. Sheppard, and having 
on board Mr. Schetterly. (a son of Dr. 
Schetterly,) and one or two more, sent 
by Mr. Miller to Mr. Dixon's relief. In 



two Smiths, were somewhat desirous 
that the Mormons should attempt to 
steal the cow, thus affording a plausi- 
ble pretext for payiug off old scores. 
There were now no women and children 
present, and it seemed a good time for a 
bloody and decisive battle. But the 
Mormons were wary. They had noted 
the number of their opponents, and per- 
haps also the thoroughness of their 



view of the additional strength brought '. preparations and their apparent willing- 
by Mr. Pratt's party, the questson now | ness to fight. At all events, they 



arose whether it would be better to go 
or stay. The day was spent in consulta- 
tion. The conclusion arrived at was 
that Mr. and Miss Pratt, with Mrs. Dix- 
on, the children, and one of the hired 
men, should embark for Northport at 
once, while Mr. Dixon and the other 
man should remain, at least for the 
present. The plan was immediately put 
in execution. As much of the property 
as could be carried by the little sloop, 
was placed on board, leaving little with 
Mr. Dixon except some growing crops 
and a valuable cow. Mrs. Dixon's sil- 
ver spoons had already been sent to Mr. 
Porter's for safe-keeping. It was a part 
of the Mormons' policy to keep on good 
terms with the Indians. To accomplish 
that, it was necessary to keep on good 
terms with the missionaries ; conse- 
quently Mr. Porter was never molested, 
and property in his hands was consid- 
ered safe. 

About two weeks after the departure 
of the party for Northport, Capt. T. I). 
Smith and his brother Thomas arrived 
at Pine River from Middle Village, hav. 
ing come for the purpose of rendering 
any assistance Mr. Dixon might need in 
his conflict with the Mormons. Some 
months before, the Mormons had burned 
a cooper shop at Middle Village, be- 
longing to the Smiths ; they were there- 
fore prepared to take advantage of any 
opportunity to avenge their own wrongs, 
while assisting others. 

Before the settlement of the lawsuit 
mentioned above, an adjournment to a 
future day had been had. The arrival 
of the Smiths occurred just before the 
time that had been set for the trial. 
The Mormons of Beaver Island, not 
knowing that the suit had been settled, 
sent over a force of eight or ten men, 
for the double purpose of securing a re- 
sult of the suit in accordance with Mor- 
mon policy, and robbing Mr. Dixon of 
such remaining property as might 
pay for the trouble of carrying it away. 
The cow was particularly an object of 
their rapacity. Mr. Dixon's party, sus- 
pecting their designs, and possibly hav- 
ing received a hint from a friendly 
source, laid on their arms all night, 
keeping a sharp lookout. At least 
three of the party, Mr. Dixon and tba 



turned to Beaver Island the next day, 
without any attempt at robbery. Fear- 
ing that the cow would be stolen at some 
future time, Mr. Dixon, assisted by his 
hired man, drove her to Bear Creek, 
where he sold her to Mr. Porter. 

The hired man did not return to Pine 
River, but went from Bear Creek to 
Ohio, by way of Mackinac. When Mr. 
Dixon got back to Pine River, the 
Smiths had gone. There was no longer 
any necessity for them to stay. Ever 
since Mr. Dixon's determmation to leave 
the place had been made known, the 
Mormons in the vicinity had been more 
friendly. There was no longer any 
property remaining to tempt the ma- 
rauders of Beaver Island. Mr. Dixon 
remained alone for a few weeks, in toler- 
able security, till his crop of potatoes 
was dug and disposed of, when he 
joined his family at Northport. 

CHAPTER XXII, 
The Wheat and (he Tares— BUter In- 
dignation Against the Mormons — 
The Conspirators — How to Enforce 
a Dress Reform — Strang Makes 
Enemies at Home — " Forty Stripes 
Save One "—Plans of the Conspira- 
tors — Assassinatio7i of Strang— The 
Assassins at Mackinac — Oensral 
Rejoicing Among the " Oenti/es." 
No human being is so depraved that 
there are not in him some germs of good. 
No one has attained to such a degree of 
purity that the roots of evil within him, 
though apparently dead, may not be 
nursed into life. The actions of the 
bad are not all bad. The life work of 
the good iias its beauty marred by 
stains of wrong. In societies and or- 
ganizations we find the wheat and the 
tares growing together. Ethical sys- 
tems are made up of truth and error. 

The historian has to do with facta. It 
is not his province to discuss the truth 
or falsehood of systems of philosophy or 
religion, but simply to present them in 
a clear light, in their relations to the 
events of history. 

The Mormons, (we speak of the Bea- 
ver island branch of the Mormon sect,) 
believed that Strang was the annointed 
of God — that he was really prophet, 
priest, and king. Strang taught that the 
spoiling of the 'Gentiles " was right. 

10 



98 



A BUfTOnY or tHE GRAND I'MAVEKSE MlOIOIf . 



The thefts, robberies, aud persecutious 
described in the preceding pages, were 
the natural and legitimate product of the 
people's belief and Strang's teaching. 
Those who deny the acts, in order to 
give the denial even a semblance of 
plausibility, must go down to the root of 
the matter, and deny Strang's teaching 
of thfl doctrine of "consecration," a de- 
nial that, as far as the writer is informed, 
has not, since the death of Strang, been 
put forward in Mormon deft^use. 

What of good there was in the Beaver 
island community, is so overshadowed 
by these acts of lawlessness as to be 
easily lost sight of by the student of 
Mormon history. Aside from the doc- 
trines of polygamy and "consecration," 
and the practices to which they nat- 
urally led, little can be said against the 
morality of the more numerous class of 
the residents of the island. Even these 
practices, unlawful when judged by the 
accepted standard of christian ethics, 
but lawful as seen from the Mormon 
stand- point, were confined to a minority 
of the people. The practice of polyga 
my, as already stated, was limited by 
the scarcity of available women. The 
plundering of the "Gentiles" and other 
questionable wutk, was usually commit- 
ted to those whose natural aptitude for 
crime made th<-m willing instruments in 
the hands of the Mormon leaders. 
Doubtless there were many persons on 
the island, true believers in the Mormon 
faith, whose hands were never soiled by 
the touch of goods dishonestly obtained. 

In the administration of the internal 
affairs of his kingdom, Strang sometimes 
exhibited a regard for the welfare of his 
subjects worthy of commendation. In- 
tellectual culture was encouraged. A 
newspaper, published at St. James, un- 
der his immediate control, was ably con- 
ducted. Industry was enjoined as a car- 
dinal virtue. Temperance was taught 
by precept and example, and enforced 
by the execution of stringent laws. The 
use of intoxicating drinks was prohibit- 
ed. In the early years of the colony, a 
few " Gentiles" settled at a place called 
Whisky Point, at the northeast extremi- 
ty of the island, where a store was 
opened for the sale of fiebermen's sup- 
plies. Here a great deal of whisky was 
sold, not only to the fishermen, but to 
the Indians inhabiting the government 
reservation on Garden Island. Some- 
times Mormons visiting Whisky Point, 
came home drunk. Strang determined 
to break up the trafiBc, and so harrassed 
the sellers that they were glad to leave 
the island. It was a good thing done 
for the Indians, who from that time 
- showed evidence of improvement in 
„ dress and n aLner of living. After 
jiiBtno^'a death, however, th» liqooX' 



seiiers returned, and the Indians soon 
fell into thtir old habits of drunkenness 
and squalor. 

The depredations of the Mormons at 
last became so wide-spread and annoy- 
ing as to arouse a general feeling of in- 
dignation throughout the region bor- 
dering on the northern part of Lake 
Michigan and the Straits of Mackinac. 
To punish the marauders at all hazards, 
was fast becoming the settled pnrpose 
of the "Gentiles." A gentleman who 
visited Mackinac in the fall of 1855, and 



The former was a rebellious Bul)ject, 
outspoken, aud doing as he pleased 
without regard to the wishes of the king. 
He was an unsafe person to be entrusted 
with the keeping of secrets that could 
not be hidden from him. Strang was 
persistent in the attempt to procure obe- 
dience by wily maneuvering stnd the sys- 
tem of harrassing persecutions by which 
recusant Mormons were usually brought 
to see the wisdom of submission. 

In the summer of 1855, repeated ef- 
forts were made to induce Bedford to as- 



who, on his return home, published a ; *'»' iu stealing the nets of "Gentile" 
short account of the state of affairs, • fishermen, the object being, as he be- 
say s : "So frequent and so extensive heved, to get him eut-ingled with the 
have been these robberies, that the peo- Mormons in the crime of "consecrating," 
pie at many poiLts on the lake shore and so close his mouth as a witness, 
have become highly excited, so highly, : Failing in this, they endeavored to get 
indeed, that we should not be surprised him to commit himself by purchasing of 
to hear of serious conflicts aud blood- | them stolen nets, but he was too honest 
shed. At Mackinac and Grand Trav- ; or two wary to be caught in that snare, 
erse, particularly, nothing but the cau- 1 Finding they could do nothing with him 
tious and constant absence of the sus j by persuasion, they stole a part of his 
pected will prevent severe and fatal j own goods, and then commenced a se- 
chastisement. Stopping recently for a ' lies ol vexatious la v>uits, on claims for 
few days at Mackinac, we had ample : debt, leal or pretended, attaching his 
opportunity to feel the public pulse, and fishing nets and other property. It was 
we must say that we were really sur- ; not their policy, however, to let the 



prised at the deep and determined feel- 
ing which has taken hold of every per- 
son in that community. We met sever- 
al gentlemen from G:and Traverse and 
other places in that portion of the state, 
from whom we ascertained that the same 
spirit pervades that entire region of 
country." 

While the storm of " Gentile " wrath 
was gathering without, rebellious ele- 
ments were developing withiu the Mor- 
mon kingdom that eventually hastened 
its overthrow. 

Among Strang's subjects were some 
who were not earnestly Mormons, if at 
heart they were really Mormons at all. 
Such were Thomas Bedford, Dr. McCul- 
lough, and Alec. Wentworth. Perhaps 
Bedford should not be called a Mormon, 
though they evidently counted him as 
one of themselves, to which he seems to 
have given his tacit consent. His prin- 
cipal business was fishing. Dr. McCul- 
lough, a person of some talent and a 
good education, was a Mormon outward- 
ly. In addition to doing a limited pro- j 
fessional business, he kept a store in the ' 
village of St. James. Wentworth was at ' 
first a Mormon, and was a ready and 
willing tool for Strang. He had no 
standing or influence. It was reported ■ 
on the island tbat he had been in some | 



I suits come to trial, and adjournments 
were had from time to time, to vex aud 
' worry him, the attached property, mean- 
i while, remaining in their possession. 
I In the meantime, a formidable rebel- 
lion sprang up among Strauj^'s female 
subj-cts, which, as most of the witness- 
es agree iu saying, had much to do with 
bringing about lii^ oveithrow. Ho had 
promulgated a law against the wearing 
of long dresses, and requiring the uni- 
versal adoption of the Bloomer style. 
Most of the women reaJily complied, 
but some, regarding it as an unwarriint- 
ed interference with feminine affairs, 
indignantly refused acquiesence, among 
whom were Mrs. McCuUough, Mrs. Bed- 
ford, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Wentworh, 
and Mrs. Orson Campbell. It was un- 
derstood that those Mormons whose 
wives would not obey, were to be treat- 
ed as "Gentiles." After it became ap- 
parent that some of the women were not 
disposed to yield, Strang declared in 
public that the law should be obeyed, 
if he had to wade ankle deep in blood. 
The leaders of the revolt threw defiance 
in bis face. Eventually, however, most 
of them were compelled to submit. Iu 
the course of the v. xatious lawsuits 
against Bedford, he had commenced a 
counter suit. On the morning of the 
day set for trial, the justice of the peace, 



rough scrapes before coming there. He 1 

married a woman who was not a Mor- j ;^; whipple.'cameintTBedford's house! 
mon, apostatized, and became one of the : Mrs: Bedford was wearing a long dress 
bitterest enemies of the Mormon church, ^nd sewing on another. When the case 
It IS not known that he had any person- ; ^^s called for trial, Whipple informed 
al grievances to redress. 

A bitter antagonism seems to have 



Bedford that he could not have the ben- 
efit of law. as he (Whipple) had that 
gtown up between Bedford aud Strang. ; morning *ien Mrs. Bedford wearing a 



A BISTORT OT THE QRAITD TRATERSS RBGIOH. 



W 



loug dress, auj refused to allow tbe trial 
to proceed. 

Mrs. Miniillongh being one of the 
leaders of tbe dress rebellion, in keep- 
ing with the policy of reducing them to 
sabmiHsion by barrasiug their hus- 
bands, a lawsuit was commenced by 
Strang against McCullough. When a 
constable was sent to levy on the goods 
of the latter, McCullough is reported to 
have said to Strang, "Now it is yon and 
I for it; you will destroy m»- or I shall 
destroy you." Strang burst luio h 
langb, au<t said he had heard men talk 
before. From that time forward, Mc- 
Cullough se ma to have euteriaiped a 
settled deteruiiuatiuu to W(,r c the over- 
throw of the Mormon power. 

At what time Bedford, McCullough, 
and Wentworth came to an understaud- 
ing is uuoertaiu. It was probably in 
the latter pnrt of the winter oi If 53 6, 
or early the following I'linug, when, after 
the whipping of B dt >id, the latter had 
<lelermiu<.d on Stiang's death. 

The K'sses and annoyasces to which 
Bedford was subjected, lUMtfail of sub- 
duing him, roused his indignation, and 
be became more outspoken regarding 
the acts of tbe Morinous than l>elore. 

The M>>rmous had siolen a boat, for 
the recovery of which the owner had of- 
fered a rewiiid of uftv dollars. On one 
occasion, Bedford remarked to a young 
man, whom he met in McCuLougb's 
store, that if he wanted to make ti ty 
dollars, be would go to Mackinac, and 
give information of tbe whereabouts of 
the stolen boat. B^-dlora's friend.^ weie 
frightened at his teme ity. Several pir- 
sons were present, and the remark was 
no doubt reported to Strang, h i. sup- 
posed that this .I'lH tbe immeJiite cuu. e 
of tiie hipping that followed. 

At eight or nine o'clock in the evening, 
H man called at Bedford's liui.se, and in- 
duced him to go down to the printing 
office, on tbe pretext that s<jme one 
wished to see him there. When near 
the place indicated, he w»s met by sev- 
eral men, armed with whips — a rawhide, 
the teamster's whip populiirly called a 
'•bhck snake," and several beech 
switches, toughened !)y Ltating and 
twisted. Bedford was terribly whipped. 
Tbe Mormon limit for whipping was 
"forty stripes save one." In this in- 
stance four more than tbe lawful num- 
ber were given i>y some over zeu ous ad 
ministrator of tbe Uw, but tbe excess was 
objected to as a j^iave wroi g by the 
more scrupujus of the party, and, it is 
said, when the fact was reported to 
Strang lie exprcs^ed his deoidtd disap- 
proval.* 

Bedford re'urnpd h^me, took di wn 
his gun, without telling his wife what 
had bapp.'ued, and started to go out 



Mrs. Bedford, fearing that he bad final- 
ly been persuaded or driven to under- 
take some of Strang's unlawful work, 
said interrogatively, "You are not go- 
ing to do anything for Strang?" He re- 
plied, "I'll do for Strang, if I get hold 
of bira." He watched that and the two 
follo.viug nights lor Snaug, leHiiing on 
a fence, where he could see a light in 
his window, lor the piai o o of shooting 
him, but without getting an opportunity. 
For some time after the whipping, 
Strang was co .stautly attended liy a 
guard. Au interview between the pai - 
ties ended with mutual expressions of 
detlance, S rang hidil ng Bedford do bis 
worst. The latter, however, prudently 
re lieil that he should uot do his worst. 
He well kue.v tliui an o .eu attempt to 
punish tbe king would result in immedi- 
ate destruction to himself. By the :ii!- 
vice of NiL-Ciiliough, tbe project of shoot- 
ing Strang was finally deferred till after 
navigation should open in the sprang, as 
there was no means of escape from the 
island. 

lu the spring, McCul'.ouoh, int.!nt rn 
carrying out bis resolution to do what 
was possible to be done to overthrow 
the Mormon power, took passage on tbe 
fir.st steamboat :h.ii touch d at tbe isl- 
and, proceeding bv way of Chicago to 
Lansing. There he laid before governor 
Bingham a .ill statement of the condi- 
tion of affairs on tbe i^land, exposing the 
false census r |iortb, fradulent voting, 
false election retjrns, au<i false school 
reports, and s 'lie te.l Mi- aid of tbe ex- 
ecutive in suppressing tbe Mormon pow- 
er. The governor had already bad a se- 
cret ageLtfor some lii; e on tbe iblaud. 
In consequence of tbe in ormation fur- 
nis • d iiy lUis agf-i.t, seconded by the 
repr--ReLtitioLS of McUuliough, fifteen 
hundred doil.-irs of pr m>iry school mon- 
ey, that bad been apportioned to Mani- 
tou county, was witlilu-M. Ti.e govern- 
or >as not averse t.i doing what he law- 
fully could, liut the matter was sur- 
rounded with difficulties. McCullough 
found in the ictiou of the State author- 
ities, as he hi.uself expressed it, a prac- 
tical illustration of the saying that heavy 
bodies move slowly. He r<-ti.rneJ to 
Beaver Islani, fully repohed to bring 
abnut the overthrow of tbe Mormon 
kingdom with:)ut St te aid. 

I the me.iii time, Bedford and 'Went- 
worth had gone to Mackinac, and pro- 
cured a boat, with which they returned 
to the island, in order to have means of 
escape at band. For five days after 
their return, both the boat and them- 
selves were kept concealed, d it ring which 
time they watched for Strang at night, 
but without getting a suitable opportu- 
nity to execute their purpose. Fearing 
the boat would be diaoovered and vim- I 



pioiou excited, tbey concluded to ap- 
pear openly. Aouordingly taking the 
boat out some distance upon the lake, 
they sailed into the harbor, a* if just re- 
turned from Mackinac. In tbe next 
number of tbe Northern Islander, 
Strang advertised the boat as one sup- 
posed to have been stolen by Tom Bed- 
ford and Alec. Wentworth. Soon after- 
ward the boat was seized by the Mor- 
mons at night, filled with stones, and 
sunk in the harbor. 

Tbe vexatious lawsuits against Bed- 
ford still remaiuad unsettled. It hap- 
pened that on the day set for the trial of 
one of them, the United States revenue 
cutter Michigan was in the harbor. 
Some of the officers, willing to give 
Bedford the moral support of their pres- 
ence, went with him to tbe place of trial. 
Tbe Mormon party refused to proceed, 
and the case was as:ain postponed. Oa 
the next adjourned day, the Michigan 
came in again, ami some of tbe officers, 
an on tbe forrm r occasion, accompanied 
Bedford to the place of triaL As on tbe 
previous occasion, the prosecution re- 
fused to proceed, and the case was again 
adjourned. 

Soon after the officers returned on 
board, tbe commander of tbe vessel sent 
a messenger to Strang, requesting him 
to come on board, for the transaction of 
some business. Strang excused himself 
on the plea that it was not safe for him 
to appear in public. However, on re- 
ceiving a second aud more pressing re- 
quest, he started for the vessel. He 
was obliged to pa^s for some distance 
along a narrow road, having continuous 
piles of cord wood on each side. When 
near the vessel, be was fired upon by 
both Bedford aud Wentworth, who had 
previously concealed themselves behind 
the piles of wood. Strang fell in the 
path. Bedford and Wentworth started 
on the run for the vessel. As tbe for- 
mer stepped over tbe body of bis victim, 
Strang seized him by the leg, and re- 
leased his hold only on receiving a stun- 
ning blow from the butt of a pistol 
Some men who were standing around 
the printing office and McCuUough's 
store, bearing the firing, ran to tbe spot, 
and carried Strang into a building not 
far away, when McCullough and the 
surgeon of the Michigan examined bis 
wounds aud pronounced them mortal. 

After Bedford and Wentworth went 
on board, claiming the protection of tbe 
vessel, the sheriff made repeated efforts 
to induce the commander to give them 
up, but he refused, assigning as a rea- 
son that there was no jail on tbe island, 
aud tbe prisoners would not t>e safe, 
therefore he would take them to Mack- 
inac. The shooting occurred iu tbe af- 
ternoon, but the familiea of Bedford and 



40 



A HISTORY OF THE OKAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



Wentworth knew nothing of it till nine 
o'clock in the evening, when an oflScer 
and some men from the Michigan came 
to assist them to carry their property on 
board, preparatory to leaving the island. 
The next morning, six families — those of 
Bedford, Wentworth, MoOuUough, 
Johnson, who was a business partner of 
McCuUough, Fred Longfield, and a Ger- 
man whose name has been forgotten — 
who did not think it safe to remain af- 
ter the departure of the Michigan, were 
received on board, and carried to Mack- 
inac. 

On the arrival of the party at Mackm- 
ac, there was great excitement and uni- 
versal rejoicing. Bedford and Went- 
worth were received as heroes and pub- 
lic benefactors. The formality of sur- 
rendering them to the sheriff of Mackin- 
ac county was observed, and they were 
conducted by that functionary to the 
jail, accompanied by several olficers of 
the Michigau. At the jail a spontaneous 
ovation awaited them. Citizens flocked 
in with congratulations and offers of as- 
sistance. Everything necessary for com- 
fort was placed at their disposal, and 
the luxury of cigars and whisky was not 
forgotten. The doors of the jail were 
not allowed to be locked, and before 
night the prisoners informally walked 
ont, and became the guests of their 
friends. 

After it appeared that Strang was not 
killed ontright, the Mormons, fearing 
that a further attempt would be made 
upon his life, organized a guard for his 
protection. After a few days, he was 
removed to his former home in Voree, 
where he shortly afterward died of his 
wounds. During his last days, he was 
tenderly nursed by his first and lawful 
wife. 

•Tlie statement has been widely circulated that 
Bedlbrd was whipped as a puQlEbment for unlaw- 
ful intimacy with another man's wife. A caieful 
investigation of the facts has convinced me that 
there Is not a shadow of truth in it. M. L. L. 



CHAPTER XXm. 
Fithermen's Expedition — Retribution 
— The Innocent Suffer with the 
Ouilty — Narrative of a Mormon 
Witness— The Mormon Settlement 
Broken up — The Mormons Driven 
From Pine River. 
McCullough and his accomplices im- 
mediately set about organizing an expe- 
dition, for the purpose of driving the 
Mormons out of the country. St. Hele- 
na Island was chosen as a rendezvous. 
Here a party of sixty or seventy men 
was quickly assembled, all eager to lend 
a hand in punishing the common enemy. 
Nominally the party was under the lead- 
ership of Arcbie Newton ; practically it 
was an irresponsible mob. A schooner 



was chartered to convey them to Beaver 
Island. 

In the mean time, the Mormons were 
warned of the approach of the hostile 
party. Strang had for years advised 
that every man should keep ready for 
defense such arms as be had, but now, 
being himself helpless, and probably 



tered by a mob ; but, as frequently bap- 
pens in the administations of mob law, 
the inuocent were made to sufier equal- 
ly with the guilty. Only a few families, 
designated by McCullough, escaped pil- 
lage, or were permitted to remain upon 
the island. Those whom the Keystone 
State could not carry away, were taken 



fearing that a conflict would result dis- '• off by other boats, a few days later, 
astrously to his people, he recommend- 1 xhe scenes attending the assembly of 
ed that the leading men— probably those | the Mormons at the harbor and the em- 
who were most obnoxious to the Gentiles | barkation, are graphically described ia 
—should leave the island. In accord ; ti^e personal narrative of Mr. W., a Mor- 
ance with this advice, a large number \ mon gentleman of probity and candor, 
left, some takiug their famUies with ' still living. .Mr. VV. is still a firm adhe- 
them, and others, lacking means of rent of the Mormon faith. The narative 
transportation, leaving their women and ' is given verbatim, as furnished to the 
children to the tender mercies of their \ author in writing, except that only ini- 
ioes. \ tials are given instead of full names. 



The invading force landed on the i 
west side of the island, and cautiously : 
advanced towards St. James, expecting 
sharp resistance. When it was found \ 
that no resistance was to be offered, the 
island was patrolled by armed parties, 
who notified the Mormons to collect at 
the harbor by a certain time, with all 
their effects, that they might be sent 
away on the steamer Keystone State, 
which was expected in at that time. 
The direst vengeance was threatened up- 
on all who should fail to obey. The 
only chance for personal safety was in 
uncomplaining submission. Remon- 
strance was answered with curses, 
threats, and blows. 

When the Keystone State arrived, the 
unfortunate people were driven on 
board, like bo many sheep destined for 
the shambles. But it was no part of 
the policy uf the inviders to allow them 
to carry their property with them. That 
was seized as lawful booty. More than 
a hundred head of choice cattle, horses, 
and mules were taken, as well as boats. 



" Between the coming of the mob and 
our departure upon the Keystone State, 
I had occasion to go down from my 
home, in about the center of the island, 
to Beaver Harbor, a few times, to see 
how things were going, and to get some 
necessaries. On the last occasion, I was 
met, about a half a mile from the harbor 
going home, by two mobocrats, each 
armed with rifle, pistols, and 'l>owie 
knives flashing' in their belts. They 
had just come, or were coming, through 
a little gate, from a Mr. M. M. A's, 
where they had been threatenig and or- 
dering his wife and family to leave. 
They had been on like business to vari- 
ous other tiouses that afternoon. 

• Where are you going ?' says one of 
them, as I was pusjiug along on the oth- 
er side of the road. 

'I am going home,' siid I. 
' Where do you live?' 
' I live, ' said I, ' ub out six mUes up ou 
the island.' 

'Well, Q — d d — n ye, get your things 
down here to the harbor by one o'clock 
nets, fish and fishermen's supplies, and j to-morrow, or your house will be burndU 
large quantities of provisions, furniture, : over your head.' 

and household goods. Three stores and I My wife had been about two days 
the printiug office were rifled, and their I confined of our second eldes't daughter 
contents added to the plunder. The un- | at that time, and I told him of the cir- 



finished house of worship — the taber- 
nacle — was burned. 

The property was divided among the 



cumstance, saying that I could not well 
leave ou that account. 

'That's a G — d d — u pretty fix you've 



invaders, as they could agree, ostensibly got into now. G — d d — n ye, get yer 



to reimburse them for losses sustained 
by Mormon robberies. Practically, a 
considerable number got more than they 
had lost. It is said, no doubt with 
truth, that some, who have since figured 



things down,' etc., etc., as before. 

I merely remarked, ' Gentlemen, 
that's pretty hard.' Then they G — d 
d — d me again and said, if I called that 
hard again, ' we will lash you to that 



as men of property, got their first start ! tree,' a small cherry tree by the road- 



with the goods that somehow fell to 
their share on this occasion. 

Had only those Moimons been robbed 
and sent away who had themselves been 
concerned in the robberies previously 
committed under the pretended sanction 
of religion, it would have been but ret- 
ributive justice, even though adminis- 



side, ' and we will whip you while we 
can stand over you.' I saw by the flush 
of their faces that they were both well 
armed with whisky, as well as with 
weapons of war, and concluded that X 
had better move on. Two persons, a 
young man and his sister, of the name 
of B., had started up the island before 



A HISTOKY OF THE GKANJU TKA VERSE KEGIOJN. 



41 



me, and by these the mob seut word to 
all on the road, to get their things down 
by such an hour, etc. They had called 
to my house before me, aud delivered 
the words of the mob. Jly wife re- 
marked that if (he mob wanted her to 
go, they would have to carry her, for 
she was not able to go herself. The B's 
passed on, the young woman remarking 
'I 0711 glad.' I soon after got to the 
house, and both feeling that we would 
have to go, my wife concluded that, by 
taking it very slowiy, she might possi- 
bly be able to walk down next day. 
Next morning I went to the harbor 
again, to see, and hire a team to bring 
our few things, or such of them as we 
could not do without. It seemed as if 
I could get no one to move our things, 
aud was again on the road homeward, 
expecting to leave all behind, and come 
away with just what we had on our 
backs ; but after I had started home, my 
brother-in-law, J. S., procured an ox 
team for me, and sent a young man with 
it up that evening, aud he was on hand 
with it the next morning at nine o'clock. 
To get to my house, he had to go some 
nine or ten miles of a round, for the 
straight road for several miles was not 
passable for teams, except in winter, it 
being very rough and swampy. 

Putting our stove and a few boxes 
and bedding aboard the wagon, I took 
the little babe in my arms, and walking 
very slowly, we managed to get down to 
the harbor about one o'clock in the af- 
ternoon. This was on the 3d day of Ju- 
ly. The beach around the west side of 
the harbor, seemed here and there like 
an open fair, or market place, with cat- 
tle, tents, fires, smokes, furniture, and 
household goods of every description ; 
all waiting, according to the dictates of 
the mob, to be oflf on the boat's arrival, 
chartered or hired for the business. 

'The Book of the Law of the Lord, 
an octavo of some 336 pages with <e- 
plauatory notes, had been printed and 
folded and awaiting the binder, before 
Mr. Strang's assassination. This work 
some of the elders boxed up and took 
away before the mob came on. This 
Law, let me say in pa88in;<, was, accord- 
ing to its claim, translated by Mr, Strang 
from ancient records mentioned in the 
Book of Mormon. The testimony of 
six other men, who claimed to have seen 
and hefted and examined the engravings 
upon those plates, accompanied this 
work. 

Soon after the mob came on, they 
took possession of the typo aud printing 
office of the Northern /slander, the 
weekly paper of the Mormons, and set 
np aud printed a manifesto of their 
grievances, so called, and circulated it 
around among the Mormons und Gen- 



tiles. A copy of it fell into my hands, 
aud I aimed to preserve it, but it has 
long since been lost, and I know not 
, whether there is another whole copy of 
it on earth. It was scarcely readable, 
and was gotten up after the style of the 
[one set forth lu Jackson county, Mis- 
souri, by the mob who drove the Mor- 
mons there. There were several bound 
works in pamphlet form left in the of- 
fice ; some in proof aud vindication of 
Mr. Strang's claims as against Brigham 
Young and others ; one called the ' Dia- 
mond,' containing the letter of appoint- 
I ment sent by Joseph Smith to Mr. 
! Strang, a little before Mr. Smith's 
1 death ; and another, entitled ' The 
Prophetic Controversy,' a very able 
work,'; aud still another work entitled 
'Oliver Oowdery's Letters to W. W. 
Phelps, on the Bringing in of the New 
I Dispensation. ' These, with some oth- 
j ers, were all hurled into the street, and 
lay fluttering in the wind, all about the 
printing office door, in the eyes of all 
passing that way. 

j A very extensive library, containing 

many volumes of rafe works, collected 

with great pains and no small outlay by 

Mr. Strang, stood in the printing office, 

and of course fell into the hands of the 

mob. In all probability they were eac- 

J rificed for a trifle, to whosoever would 

I buy ; for surely such a set of ruffians 

I cared nothing for books upon science, 

history, and moral culture and progress 

themselves. 

I overlooked in the proper time of 
it, that two stores of general merchan- 
dise — one belonging to a man of the 
name of J. W. W., and another to the 
Mr. M. M. A., before mentioned — be- 
came the prey of the mob. Indeed, I 
don't know but the greater part of the 
merchandise of two other stores — for 
there were four in all — became a part of 
the general spoil 

In the year 1851, an escaped felon 
from Ireland, had been killed in the act 
of resisting the arrest of a couple of not- 
ed criminals of the name of O'D. and H. 
and was buried on the beach, on the 
west side of the harbor. The Mormons, 
according to a principle of their faith, 
piled rough stones upon his grave, aud 
taught their children to add a stone to 
the pile as they passed by. These stones 
the mob compelled some timid Mormons 
to remove, at the gun's muzzle. The 
felon's name was T. B. 

In fact it seemed the pleasure aud 
delight of the mob to be as directly op- 
posite to the Mormons as they know 
well how to be, in almost everything. 

A day or so before the boat arrived, 
while stopping at my brother-in-law S's 
bouse. Dr. H. D. McCallough came to 
the house, and bud a chat with this S. 



They were reckoning on who could stay 
and who not. While in an adjoining 
room, I heard McOuUough say that ' W. 
was too good a Mormon,' he guessed, 
'to stay.' Oue would think then that 
McCullough — the chief leader in the 
assassination of Mr. Strang — was in high 
esteem among the mob. We little 
thought that a few days after we left 
we should fiud him, and some others 
who were piloting the mob around on 
the island, as we did, in IVfilwaukee, 
driven off with the rest of us. his beau- 
tiful Gothic mansion, store, and dock 
confiscated to the mob. Possibly he 
got a trifle of their cost, for I have nev- 
er heard just how it was. One thing, 
he desired, and thought he could stay ; 
but he did not remain more than three 
days behind the rest of us. 

The Keystone State, whether steam- 
er or propeller I don't now remember, 
came in finally on the evening of the 
sixth day of July, and then a general 
bustle and flurry commenced among 
the people, with here and there a ' G — d 
d — n ye, get yer things aboard,' from the 
mob. 

My brother-in-law had made calcu- 
lations to move off oc the Iowa, Capt. 
Alexander, and, not expecting him for a 
day or two, he had only a few of his 
things packed np. McCullough, more- 
over, told him he could stay till then ; 
but N. and one of the two mobocrats who 
met me a few days before and threatened 
me, came in, as we were thinking of sit- 
ting down to supper, and greeted Mr. 
S. with a ' G — d d — n ye, why an't ye 
gettin' yer things aboard?' 'Why,' says 
S. ' I was waiting for the Iowa to come 
in.' 'G— d d -n ye, get yer things 
aboard,' says N. giving him at the same 
time a tremendous slam with his open 
hand on the side of his face, that fairly 
whirled S. half around, following him 
uu with a revolver, and jamming it 
against his breast, repeating 'G — dd — n 
ye, get yer things aboard.' 'Why,' 
says S., 'McCullough told me that I 
coftld stay till the Iowa came in.' 'G — d 
d — n McCullough,' said N., 'we'll play 
hell with him pretty soon.' The other 
mobocrat commeuced slamming water 
in the stove and pulling things about, 
and. pulling the bed- clothes off one of 
the beds, he was within a very little of 
pulling our little six days old infant off 
on to the floor. Its mother cried out in 
time to save it. 

By the accommodation of a Mr. W. 
E. W., who had a one-horse spring wag- 
on, I got what few things 1 brought 
down off the island aboard ; but poor 
brother-iu-law S. got next to nothing of 
his large property. The industry of 30 
years with him was mainly swept away 
iu an hour. He had, with bis brother- 

11 



A HISTORY OF THEJ^KANDjrRAVBKSEREGI^ 



in-law S. B., come on to the island, 
from Pittsburg. Pa., and built a large 
saw-miU, bringing machinery of var-.ous 
IdsKis with him, with blacksmith's shop, 
turning lathe, and belting, so that there 
«as scarcely anything in a common way 
that needed doing in such a place but 
what could be done, from the making ot 
a smaU screw to the boring of a cannon, 
etc., yet all was possessed by the mob. 
innocent, as he was, and without a 
charge of any kind being laid against 
him Plead as he might and did, he 
nevergotapennyof the thousands he 

had invested there. 'He was a damn 

^Te° Ke^s^ne'state lay at Mr. Al- 
drich's dock, at the west side of Beaver 
Harbor, and when all living and camped 
thereabouts were hustled on board he 
boat was steamed up to the head of the 
bay, where McCuUough's dock stood. 
My wife, I think, was the last to get 
aboard at Aldrich's dock. Walking be 
fore her with the little babe in my arms, 
she rather feebly and slowly walked 
along towards the boat. A mobocratic 
ruffian and companion of N., was walk- 
ing, Sim armed, behind her. She was 
not moving quickly enough to suit him, 
' G— d d-n ye,' said he ' move on. 

When the lines were made fast at 
McCuUough's dock, the same hurry and 
bustle commenced among the Mormons 
camped around there, and soon [they] 
were hustled aboard. But all the Mor- 
mons, it seems, were not taken on this 
boat; there were several other boats 
called there afterward, upon which va- 
rious families came away. 

It was now about 7 o'clock in the 
evening, and the boat havin'g taken in 
as many of the people, with the few 
things they were permitted to take, as 
oould well be stowed together, the lines 
were cast off, and the Keystone State 
headed for Chicago." , 

It is not necessary to pursue farther j 
the present narrative quoted above. Of 
the Mormons carried away on the Key- 1 
atone State, a part landed at Milwaukee 1 
and the rest at Chicago. From those I 
points they scattered in various direc- 

^"wiiile these events were occurring on 
Beaver Island, a party of "Cxentiles," 
remembering the Mormon settlement at 
Pine Kiver, paid it a hostile visit. The 
Mormons had been notified of the dan- 
ger, and those who thought it unwise to j 
fall into the power of their enemies had I 
prudently left the place. Not finding 
some particular individuals, whom they 
wished to punish, and suspecting that 
they had recently been entertauied by 
the widow King, the invaders revenged 
themselves by burning her dwelling. 
The settlement, like the principal one on 
Beaver Island, was broken up. only two 



or three of the least obnoxious families 
being allowed to remain. 

The history of the rise and fall of the 
Mormon kingdom of Beaver Island, af- 
fords a striking example of systematic, 
organized, and wide-spread lawlessness, 
lawlessly punished. 

CHAPTER XXIV. 
The Pine liiver Country after the Ex- 
pulsion of the Mormons-Arrival 
of Immigrants— The Bover and her 
Passengers— Mr. Dixon's Return- 
Mr. and Mrs. John Milter— A 
Dream and its Fulfillment-A Mor- 
mon Demand for Bent— Early Set- 
tlers on Pine Lake-Lost in the 
Woods. 
The driving out of the Mormons left 
Medad Thompson and his family the 
only inhabitants at Pine River. How- 
ever they were not long alone. About 
the first of August, 1856, a saU might 
have been seen coming round the pomt 
from the direction of Little Traverse, 
and headmg for the mouth of the nvor, 
with a number of persons on board, it 
proved to be the Bover, carrying as crew 
and passengers Samuel Horton and his 
famUy, and two young men-John New- 
man and Archie Buttars. 

Mr Hoiton had left Toledo in the 
Rover with the intention of coasting 
round the lower peninsula of Mich- 
igan and up Grand river, to Grand 
Rapids, where two of his sons were 
living. Getting short of provisions, 
he put into Pine River in the hope 
of obtaining a supply. Here adverse 
I winds induced him to remain for 
several days. It is said that, getting 
weary of the delay, he finaUy determined 
to start on a certain day, if the wind was 
fair • if not, he would take it as an indi- 
cation that Providence had ordered that 
his home should be beside the bright 
waters of Pine lake. On the day ap- 
pointed, the wind was unfavorable for 
I proceeding on the voyage, and accord- 
ingly the prow of the Rover was turned 
I towards the head of the lake. He se- 
lected a location at the head of the 
charming sheet of water that has since 
been named in his honor Horton's bay, 
where he found an improvement, which 
had been made by the Mormons previ- 
ous to being driven off. Newman and 
Buttars, who seem to have been for 
some time drifting aimlessly about the 
world, became permanent residents of 
I the country, the latter taking up his 
i abode at Pine River, and the former re^ 
j maining for some time at Horton's bay 
The Bover was for many years the 
largest craft on Pine lake. On account 
of her peculiar buUd and somewhat di- 
lapidated condition, she was the object 
of many witticisms, but however unsea- 
worthy she may have been, judged by 



accepted nautical standards, she carried 
many a load of staves and hoops fiom 
Pine River to the Beaver islands, and, 
in return, brought provisions in safety 
to those who would have been left iu 
destitute oircumstauces, had she been 
cast away. 

After the Mormons were driven off, 
Mr. Dixon, who, since his expulsion 
from Pine River, had remained at North- 
port, resolved to return. He first visit- 
ed Beaver island, where he was success- " 
f ul in recovering the greater part of his 
stolen property. This he conveyed to 
Pine River, and then returned to North- 
port for his famUy. At the latter place, 
he fell in with Mr. John MUler, after- 
wards familiarly known as "Uncle" 
John Miller, who, with his wife and two 
sons, had come from Oswegatohie, St. 
Lawrence county, N. Y., in search of a 
home in the west. It was arranged that 
Mr. MUler should take passage in Mr. 
Dixon's boat, and the two famihes sail- 
ed for Pine River in company. 

After stopping a short time at Pine 
River, Mr. MiUer and his family were 
conveyed to their new home by Mr. 
Dixon in his boat, arriving at eleven 
o'clock at night. The location which 
had been selected, was on the north 
shore of Pine lake, near its head, in the 
vicinity of the present site of Bay 
Springs. The place had been occupied 
by the Mormons, who had made a clear- 
ing, buUt a log house, and planted some 
crops. 

Mrs. MUler relates a curious dream 
she had before leaving Oswegatchie, the 
fulfillment of which she recognized in 
the circumstances of their arrival at 
their new home. She saw in her dream 
the log house, as it actually was, with a 
roof made of troughs, as the settlers 
sometimes made them where boards 
were scarce, with a trough inverted on 
[the ridge iu place of weather-boards. 
In front of the house was what appeared 
to be a swamp. She thought they built 
a fire on the floor, in the house. Then 
the man who brought them there took 
the end board out of his wagon box to 
close an open window, and said to her 
that she would never want whUe she 
remained there. The features of the 
man were indelibly fixed in her memory. 
When, at Northoort, she first caught 
sight of Mr. Dixon on the wharf, she 
recognized him at once as the person 
she had seen in her dream, and pointed 
him out to her husband as such. Arriv- 
ing at their destination, everything ap- 
peared as she had seen it. What she 
had taken to be a swamp, however, was 
the lake, hidden by a row of evergreen 
trees along the beach. They did buUd 
a fire on the floor, or, rather, on the 



A HISTOKY OF THE GRAND TKA VERSE KfiGION- 



4b 



charred remains of the floor, which had 
already been partly consumed by ac- 
cident or design. Then Mr. Dixon 
brought, not the end board r>f a wagon 
box, but the center board of his boat, 
and with it closed a window, to keep out 
the night air. We are not informed 
whether Mr. Dixon then actually spoke 
the words attributed to him or not. but 
his prophecy as heard in the dream 
made such a deep and lasting impression 
ou Mrs. Miller that, many years after, 
when, by the buUding up of the vil- 
lages of Boyne City and Bay Springs, 
their land was made valuable and tempt- 
ing prices were offered for it, she stead- 
fastly refused to sell. 

The place selected by Mr. Miller had 
been occupied by a Mormon whose wife 
claimed to hold it under a pretended 
grant from Strang. It is said that, as- 
suming to have supreme authority over 
the country, he gave it to her as a bribe, 
to induce her to second, by her influ- 
ence and example, his attempt to estab- 
lish by authority the exclusive use of 
the bloomer costume among his female 
subjects. It is a curious illustration of 
the sincerity of a class of honest but 
misguided Mormons, and of their im- 
plicit faith in the divine authority of 
their leader as prophet, priest, and king, 
tkat, many years after, the woman, still 
believing herself to be the rightful own 
er, demanded the payment of rent from 
Mr. Miller. The latter, however, hav- 
ing obtained a patent under the seal of 
the United States, was unable to see any 
justice in the demand. 

At the closing in of the winter of 
1856-7, there were four families in the 
Pine Eiver region— those of Medad 
Thompson, J. S. Dixon, Samuel Horton, 
and John Miller— and. probably, the 
two young men, Newman and Buttars. 
The following spring the settlement was 
re-inforced by the arrival of S. F. Ma- 
son, Frank May, and a man named 
Hyde. They were followed in the 
course of the summer by J. K. Dean 
and A. A. Corwin, sons-in-law of Mr. 
Horton, and in the fall by M. J. Stock- 
man. In the spring of 1858 came Hugh 
Miller, J. Beebe, and a man named 
Cross, and in the fall of the same year 
Richard Williams and two men named 
Cochran and Childs. D. H. Pierce came 
in 1857 or 1858. 



Of this number only five— Mason, 
Stockman, Miller, Pierce, and Williams 

became permanent residents. May 

and Hyde stopped at Advance during 
the summer of 1857, but in Ihe fall left 
for some other locality. The former, 
who had been in Mr. Dixon's employ 
during his first season at Pine River, 
had since marrieti. A daughter, born to 



him while at Advance, was the first 
white child born in the vicinity of the 
head of Pine lake. Dean and Corwin 
settled near Horton's bay, but left the 
country in 1859. Williams, Cochran, 
and Childs settled at Advance. Wil- 
liams soon left, but afterwards returned 
to Pine Eiver. The other two, after re- 
maining about a year, removed to North- 
port. Beebe and Cross retired from the 
settlement in 1859. The former, as he 
was leaving, met with a terrible afflic- 
tion, in the loss of bis wife and two 
children, by the capsizing of a sail boat, 
on the reef at Pine River point. Mason 
and Stockman took up their residence at 
Pine River. Miller and Pierce located 
farms— the former a short distance south 
of Pine River ; the latter oa the north 
shore of Pine lake, some six mUes dis- 
tant. 

Wm. H. Porter was the first perma- 
nent settler at Advance. He first came 
to the place in 1859, selected his land, 
which he purchased of the U. S. govern- 
ment, and then went to Bear creek, 
where he remained till 1865. . In the lat- 
ter year he returned to Advance, and 
built a saw mill, and afterwards a grist- 
mill, where the village now stands, on 
the stream named in his honor Porter's 
creek. 

The sHe of the present village of 
Boyne City remained an unbroken wil- 
derness till a somewhat later date. The 
first settler at that point was Andrew J. 
Hall. 

Amos Williams was the first settler at 
the head of the south arm of Pine lake. 
The exact date of his arrival is not 
known, but he was already there in 1862. 
At first he "squatted" on what he sup- 
posed to be government land, but which 
proved to be the property of a railroad 
company. He afterwards took a gov- 
ernment homestead. 

Williams is remembered as the owner 
of a large canoe, or dug-out, made from 
the trunk of a pine tree, which he chris- 
tened the Old Ship Zion. At the same 
time, Hugh MUler owned a craft of the 
same sort, named the Leviathan, and au 
old gentleman of the name of HoUand a 
sail boat known as the Bucephalus. 
These three vessels, with the Rover, 
brought in by Mr. Horton, seem to have 
bequeathed their names to history as 
among the most famous of the earliest 
fleet traversing the waters of Pine lake. 
A volume m ight doubtless be written 
about the hardships, strange experien- 
ces, and curious adventures of the early 
settlers of the Pine River region, were 
the facts, in all their interesting particu- 
lars, at command. In addition to those 
akeady given, one or two must suffice. 

Mrs. John Miller relates that, in 1858, 
her oldest son, Hugh, being absent in 



the employ of Mr. Port«r at Bear Creek, 
Mr. Miller and the younger son, James, 
went away with a boat to obtain sup- 
plies. Stress of weather compelled them 
to remain away longer than had been 
anticipated, and for fourteen days she 
did not see the face of a human being. 



In June of the same year, she got 
lost in the woods, and laid out two 
nights. She had gone out in the morn- 
ing after her cows. Usually, when the 
cows were started, they would go direct- 
ly home, and Mrs. Miller had fallen into 
the habit of depending on them for guid- 
ance. On this occasion, for some unac- 
countable reason, they took a wrong 
direction, and she sooon became aware 
that she wa^ lost. She kept with the 
cows, living upon mUk. When they 
1 laid down at night, she too laid down, 
I with her back against one of them, as- 
suming that position for the sake of 
warmth, and for the purpose of being 
awakened, if the cows should again BUtt 
on their wanderings. She had learned 
from observation that at the time of the 
longest days in June, when shadows are 
shortest, she could step exactly the 
length of her own shadow at twelve 
o'clock. On the ?. second day, while 
measuring her shadow in this manner to 
see if it was noon, she discovered a glit- 
tering object among the dead leaves on 
the ground. It proved to be a shirt 
button, and further search revealed the 
remains of an old flannel shirt. Then 
she remembered that two land-lookers, 
who had been entertained at her house 
sometime before, had mentioned throw- 
ing a-way their flannel shirts in the 
woods, several miles up the Boyne. 
Concluding that she must be several 
miles east of home, she took the sun for 
a guide, and drove her cows in a wester- 
ly direction tUl sunset. Then the cows 
laid down to rest, and she with them, 
for a few hours. After the moon had 
got up high enough to be a convenient 
guide, she traveled awhile by moonlight, 
and then laid down for another rest. 
In the morning, she was cheered by the 
distant blowing of horns and firing of 
guns. Understanding the sounds to be 
the welcome signals of a searching party, 
she seized the bell carried by one of the 
cows and rang it with all her might in 
response, but was unable to make it 
heard. Soon afterwards, she came up- 
on and recognized the survey marks of 
the original line of the Grand Rapids 
and Indiana railroad, which she knew 
was only two miles or a little more 
from home. Pushing on as well as she 
might, she was cheered and encouraged 
by a repetition of the signals of the 
searching party. This time, by a vig- 
orous ringing of the bell, she was able 
to atti-act their attention. They proved 



4:4 



A HISTOKY OP THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



to be a party of Indians from Bear 
Creek. Mr. Miller had gone over to the 
Mission for help. The party had crossed 
Bear Lake in their canoes, firing 
guns and blowing horns as they landed 
on the south shore. Not hearing any 
response, they had proceeded to the 
house, where Mr. Miller provided a 
breakfast. Then two of them had start- 
ed up the Boyne in a canoe, while the 
others proceeded eastwardly by land. 
Mrs. Miller would, no doubt, have final- 
ly reached home without assistance, but 
the dusky faces of her friendly rescuers 
were none the less welcome, after a lone- 
ly sojourn of two days in the forest. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

Village Platted — Fox & Jiose — Wharf 
Built — The Wood Trade— /Steam 
Tuff on Pine Lake — First Sunday 
School^ Sunday -School in a Fish 
Shanty — A Minister Arrives— Par- 
sonage Built — The Women Resolve 
to Build a School House — How 
They Did it — Letter to Mrs. Fox. 
To one having an eye to either busi- 
ness or beauty, the banks of Pine river 
early presented attractions ap an eligible 
site for a town. A mile back from the 
shore of Lake Michigan lies Pine lake, 
its two arms stretching away to the 
southeast long distances into the interi- 
or. Between it and Lake Michigan lies 
Round lake, covering an area of a hun- 
dred acres or more. Pine river, the out- 
let of Pine lake, in its course to Lake 
Michigan runs directly through it. The 
river in its natural state was a narrow, 
crooked, swiftly flowing stream, full of 
snags and overliung with trees, as un- 
like the broad, deep, and almost straight 
channel through which large steamers 
now go up into Pine lake as one can well 
imagine. 

At an early day Mr. Dixon surveyed 
and platted a part of what is now the 
village of Charlevoix, in the sheltered 
basin lying south of the lower river and 
west of Bound lake. At that tiooe, fur- 
nishing wood for the steam craft navi- 
gatius; the great lakes was a profitable 
business, where wood was easily accessi- 
ble. Charlevoix was only a few miles off 
the usual route of passing steamers. 
Messrs. Fox & Rose, who were engaged 
in the wood trade at Northport, saw 
the advantages of the situation, where 
was an almost unlimited tract of hard- 
wood forest, from which Pine lake 
and the river afforded means of cheap 
transportation to the shore. In 1863 
an arrangement was entered into be- 
tween them and Mr. Dixon, mutually 
advantageous to the contracting par- 
ties. In consideration of their building 
a wharf and establishing business, Mr. 
Dixon conveyed to them a narrow strip 



of land along the shore of Lake Michi- 
gan, which gave them the control of the 
lake front for some distance both sides 
of the river. Mr. Fox soon after took 
up his residence in Charlevoix, a store 
was opened, and the construction of a 
wharf commenced in 1864. 

Charlevoix soon became an important 
wooding station for steamers, and the 
cutting of wood, here as well as at the 
Manitous and in the vicinity of North- 
port, furnished employment for a large 
number of men. From the first it was 
seen that the supply must come largely 
from the shores of Pine lake. To facili- 
tate transportation, a tug was necessary. 
Messrs. Fox & Rose accordingly had one 
built — a diminutive craft called the 
Commodore Nutt — which arrived in 
June, 1867, and, after the exercise of 
considerable engineering skill, the deep- 
ening of the channel of the river in some 
of its shallower parts by the aid of -teams 
and road-scrapers, and the expenditure 
of a large amount of muscular force in 
towing, was -finally got into Pino lake on 
the morning of the fourth of July. 

Not the least important feature of the 
history we are tracing, is that of the de 
velopmeut of the religious and educa- 
tional interests of the various localities 
passing under observation. Some in- 
teresting facts connected with the early 
church work in Charlevoix, have been 
preserved. Some reminiscences also of 
the early efibrts to give the children ed- 
ucational advantages equal to those af- 
forded by the common school in other 
places, are worthy of being put on rec- 
ord. 

The first religions work of which we 
have any account, was a Sunday-school, 
conducted by Mrs. Dixon in her own 
house. It was commenced in the fall of 
1859, and closed in the summer of 1860, 
having been kept up, with some irregu- 
lar intermissions, between these two 
dates. Four families were represent 
ed — those of S. F. Mason, Medad 
Thompson, Hugh Miller, and J. S. 
Dixon. The pupils were Oscar Mason, 
Albert Mason, Melvin Thompson, Wm. 
Miller, John Miller, Mary Ann Miller, 
Ellen MiUer, Frances P. Dixon, Joseph 
R. Dixon, and Charlie Dixon. There 
was no formal organization, and the ex- 
ercises were of the simplest kind. De- 
siring some Sunday-school books for the 
children, Mrs. Dixon wrote to Mr. T. 
Marvin, publisher of the Missionary 
Herald. Her letter was referred by 
him to the Young People's Missionary 
Society of Park street church, Boston, 
which promptly responded by the dona- 
tion of a ten- dollar library. Mr. Dix- 
on's residence was situated near the 
beach of Pine lake. As the homes of 
the other families were similarly situa 



ted, the easiest way for the children to 
reach the school in winter was to go on 
skates. It was quite natural that, re- 
turning, the attractions of skating should 
prove too strong for their regard for the 
Sabbath, and that they should while 
away a considerable part of the after- 
noon on the ice. At one time it became 
.1 serious question with Mrs. Dixon 
whether her school, indirectly, was not 
doing more harm than good. 

After the close of this Sunday school, 
in the summer of 1860, brought about 
indirectly by severe domestic affliction 
in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Dixon in 
the loss by death of a little daughter, 
nothing more was attempted in that line 
of work till 1865. In the summer of 
that year, for a short time, Mrs. Dixon 
again conducted a Sunday-school, in the 
little log school house that had been 
built on a terrace overlooking Pine lake, 
on the grounds now occupied by the 
Charlevoix summer resort. 

In the spring of 1867, the writer found 
himself in Charlevoix, with the prospect 
before him of spending the summer and 
autumn there. At the earnest solicita- 
tion of the young people, he consented 
to undertake the organization and man- 
agement of a Sunday-school. Within a 
radius of two miles, there were, all told, 
about sixteen young persons of both 
sexes of fuitable age for a bible class, 
and about the same number of children 
old enough to attend the school. They 
were all gathered in, almost without an 
elfort. There was no minister of the 
gospel at Charlevoix. Rev. Leroy War- 
ren, engaged in home missionary work, 
preached there when his duties, at long 
intervals, called him into that region, 
and Rev. A. J. Seusabaugh, the metho- 
dist minister on Antrim circuit, held 
meetings there occasionally, but during 
the greater part of that season the Sun- 
day-school wae the only Sunday service. 

Some difficulty was encountered in 
finding a suitable place for meeting. 
There was a fisherman's shanty on the 
south side of the river, on or very near 
the site now occupied by the block 
owned by L. D. Bartholomew, in which 
the odd fellows' hall is situated. All 
around it the forest yet remained in its 
pristine beauty. The shanty was with- 
out windows, and was filled with a hete- 
rogeneous collection of barrels, nets, 
and other implements of the fisherman's 
art. Permission was obtained of the 
owner, and the young men of the neigh- 
borhood undertook to put it in older. 
Openings were cut in the wall and win- 
dows inserted, to obtain which it was 
necessary to send to Traverse City. A 
strong scaffold of poles was built over- 
head, on which was stowed away every- 
thing of value. The useless trash was 



A MiSTOKy Oh' THK ailANU TKAVEiibl!; KEGIOM. 



«6 



curried outside. Seats wore made by 1 was so nearly completed as to be com- 
placing lugs of wood ou tlie floor, across ; fortable when wiuter set in. During the 

I jear that followed, he was compelled to 
f;ke out his scanty salary by serving a 
part of the time as clerk in the ^re of 



whic I boards were laid. 

The whole number of names on the 
roll of the school was thirty six, Lnclnd- 
ing almost all the chlldrea and youth of 
the settlement. Sixteen of the older 
ones constituted the bible class, taught 
by the (superintendent. Thr following 
is a list of the officers and tiSichers : Su- 
perintendent, M. L. Leach ; secretary, 
Miss Frances P. Dixon ; treasurer, Mrs. 
Nelson Aiuslie ; libraiian, Joseph B. 
Dixon ; teachers, Mrs. Ainslie, Mrs. 
Wm. Chamberlain, Miss Lottie Ainslie. 
This Sunday school was, to say the 
least, unique. Organized at the earnest 
solicitation of the young peoule them- 
selves, gathering in all the young ladies 
and gftitlemeu of the settlement, taking 
the place of the ordinary religious serv- 
ices of older communities, held in a . 
stiauty ol the roughest and most primi- 
tive construction, with Ihe nets and oth- 
er fishing gear of the owner in plain 
sight overhead, enveloped in the shade 
of the primitive forest, with the crystal 
waters of the little lake, the swiftly flow^ 
ing river, and the surf- beaten beach of 
Lake Michigan only a step away, it re- 
mains pictured in the memory of the 
writer as a notable way- mark of one of 
the pleasant stages of a somewhat event- 
ful life. 

In the fall, the owner of the shanty 
having use for it, the Sunday-school had 
to be transferred to other quarters. 
Once or twice it was held in the dwelling 
of Mr. Robert Miller, and then for some 
time in the sitting room of an unfinished 
building owned by Mr. Althouse and 
kept by him as a house of entertainment 
for travelers. It only remains to add 
that from the organization of that school 
up to the time of the present writing, 
Charlevoix has never been without a 
Sunday-school in active operation, ex 
cept on a single occasion when, one win- 
ter, there was an intermission of six 
weeks' duration. 

In the fall of 1867, the Michigan con- 
ference of the M. E church established 
Charlevoix circuit, and sent Rev. J. Gu- 
lick to -take charge of the work. Ther^ 
was already a class there, consisting of 
thirteen members, who were scattered 
over the suiTounding country, only one 
or two of them living in the village. 
The flipt quarterly meeting was held in 
the sitting room of the AlShousu build- 
ing, where the Sunday school had been 
in the httbit of meeting. The quarterly 
conference consisted of only the p^sid- 
ing elder, the pabtor in charge, and the 
class leader. Mr. Oulick immediately 
set about the construction of a small 
building to be occupied as a parsonage, 
which, by the willing aitl of the peopfe, 



Fox & Rose. 

The first school house in Charlevoix, 
which has been already alluded to as 
standing ou the grounds now occupied by 
the Charlevoix summer resort, was a log 
structure about sixteen feet square, 
with a floor of hewn planks, a roof of 
shakes, a door fastened with a wooden 
latch, three windows of six small panes 
each, seats of planks supported on rough j 
legs, and writing tables of long boards I 
placed edgewise against the wall around ' 
three sides of the room. In the fall of 
1867 it began to be felt that the school 
house accommodations were too limited. 
There were perhaps a dozen white fami- 
lies in and around the village. As the 
legal voters did not seem inclined to 
move in the matter of building, the 
women took the aflfair into their own 
hands, and went about it in their own 
way. Afttr consultation, t^y resolved 
to hold a fair to raise money as a nucleus 
for a building fund. The matter was 
pushed with such energy that three 
weeks after the inception of the project 
everything was ready, and the evening 
of the sixth of December was appointed 
for the gathering. 

When the evening arrived, a general 
interest in the fair, if not in the object : 
it was intended to promote, had been 
aroused, and, though a wintry storm 
was raging, nearly all the inhabitants of 
the settlement, old and young. Were ear- 
ly at the place appointed, anticipating, 
and determined to have, a good time. 
The ladies had prepared a large number 
of articles— ;usefal and ornamental — for 
sale. Most of them were first disposed 
of at private sale, and were then put up 
at auction by the first purchasers, the 
money in every case going into the com 
mon fund. After the sales were com 
pleted, the company repaired to the din 
ing room, where, as a lady who wue 
present has since expressed it, "they 
had ■ oysters, real oysters, don't yon 
think — a dish almost unknown in those 
days except in name — and they were 
dealt out by good big dishfuUs — not a 
little Boup with one poor little oyster 
swimming around all alone." Perhaps 
not the least enjoyable part of the 
amusement of the evening was the pub- 
lic reading of the letters received by in- 
■ dividual^ through the yoang ladies' post- 
office. Several persons whose turn <if 
mind lead them to work in that direc- 
tion, had employed their spare momenta 
in providing material for ttiat depart- 
ment, consequently almost every person 
got a letter — in prose or verso^ witty, 



humorous, sarcastic, spicy or dull, ac- 
cording to the whim and ability of the 
writer. Of course the recipient was re- 
quired to pay a small sum as postage, to 
help swell the receipts of the evening. 
One letter, in verse, addressed to Mrs. 
Fox, has been preserved, and may serve 
as a sample of the lot It ran as follows : 

with wifely charm and loTlng care. 
When home affairs get In a box, 

With wisdom tme and talent rare. 
Guide and control that sly old Fox* 

And when rnde storms, o^er all the earth 
Sweeping, portend the eqalnoxes. 

Then, hovering near the homestead hearth, 
Nnrse and protect the little Poiea. 

The fair was a success financially, 
about $75 being realized. This was put 
into Mrs. Aiuslie's hands as treasurer, 
and was expended the next spring to- 
wards building a school house. The 
new house, though nqt completed that 
season, was occupied for a three month's 
summer term of school. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 
Inception of the Benzonia Enterprise 
Preliminary £xploratioua — Influ- 
ence of Deacon Dame's Article in 
the N. Y. Tribune — The Compact 
^Location Agreed on — Clearing 
the Betsey River— First Colonists- 
Incidents of Progress— The First 
Woman on the, Trail — Other Settle- 
ments — Frankfort, Homestead, Joy- 
field, Pleasanton, Monroe Center, 
Wexford. 
At this stage of our narrative, it be- 
comes necessary again to turn our atten- 
tion to a new point of interest. The es- 
tablishment of the colony at Benzonia 
was an event in the settlement of the 
country of no small moment. 

As early as the winter of 1855, the 
idea of a christian colony and college as 
j one of the best agencies for ' laying a 
] foundation for good to the world, took 
definite shape in the mind of Rev. 
1 Charles E. Bailey, a congregational min- 
! ister of Medina, Ohio. Mentioning the 
1 subject to Rev. M. W. Fairfield, nearly 
! a year later, he learned that some of the 
j people attending the ministry of the lat- 
ter were entertaining a similar project. 
' A meeting for consultation was held at 
Mr. Bailey's house. A plan of opera- 
tions was agreed on, and Messrs. Bailey 
and Fairfield undertook to find a suita- 
ble location and attend to the piuchase 
I of land. lu the discharge of this duty, 
they performed a toilsome journey of ex- 
ploration through a part of Iowa, only 
to learn at the last moment, on visiting 
the land office, that through the opera- 
tion of some recent railroad land grant 
law, the government lands of Iowa had 
been withdrawn fcom market. As the 
plan which had been agreed to required 
the purchase of government lands in 
that state, tne project had to tie aban- 

12 



46 



A UltSTOKi OF THE GKAND TKAVEKSE KECilON. 



doned. Ketnming to Medina, Mr. Fair- 
field withdrew fiom the enterprise alto- 
gether. Mr. Bailey, though his ardor 
was somewhat abated, resolved to per- 
seveie. 

As the original organization was now 
broken up, Mr. Bailey and his brother 
John, on their own responsibility, spent 
considerable time in visiting various 
portions of the west, hoi)iug to find sec- 
ond-hand lands suitable for the purpose 
in view. After months spent in explo- 
rations, and the endurance of much 
hardships from winter travel on the un- 
settled prairies of Iowa, they found a lo- 
cation in the northern part of that state 
which seemed in all respects desirable. 
The owners or agents of the lands lived 
in Dubuque. Thither the brothers 
went with buoyant spirits, only to meet 
with another disappointment. A choice 
quarter section in the central part of the 
tract, at the point most suitable for plat- 
ting a village, was found to be the prop- 
erty of minor heirs, and could not be 
purchased. This circumstance was af- 
terwards looked upon as providential 
and fortunate, as, if the colony had been 
located there at that time, the enter- 
prise would probably have been wrecked 
in the fiinancial crash of 1857. 

The remainder of the winter and the 
early spring were spent in discussing 
plans and the probable advantages of 
many widely separated localities. Some 
years before, Mr. John Bailey had 
clipped from the New York Tribune an 
article written by Deacon Dame, de- 
scribing in glowing terms the country 
around Grand Traveree bay. This, 
which he had preserved in his pocket- 
book, was now read and re-read with a 
great deal of interest. While the broth- 
ers Bailey were discussing plans, at 
Grinnell, Iowa, Mr. Chauncey T. Carrier 
came from western New York to Ohio, 
on his way west in search of a home for 
himself and family. Calling on Eev. A. 
D. Barber, an old school friend, the lat- 
ter informed him of the project in 
which the Baileys were engaged, and 
induced him to join them at Grinnell. 
Mr. Carrier had formerly known Deacon 
Dame, and had confidence in his state- 
ments. Comparing notes with the Bai- 
leys, he, as well as they, was favorably 
impressed in regard to northern Michi- 
gan. As Mr. Carrier had business in 
Minnesota, it was arranged that he 
should pursue his journey, and that the 
three should finally meet at the most 
northerly port in Grand Traverse bay, 
though none of them knew its name or 
had any definite notion of its location. 

As the time for the appointed meeting 
approached, Mr. Carrier landed at 
Northport. The Messrs. Bailey landed 
on one of the Manitoas, whence they 



passed over to Glen Arbor in a smal 
boat. While they were making their 
way to Northport on foot.vMr. Carrier 
yisited a location on the east side of Elk 
lake, in Antrim county, which seemed 
to him to offer important advantages for 
the establishment of the proposed col- 
ouy. Meeting his comrades at North- 
port, he induced them to visit it, it be- 
ing stipulated, however, that the three 
should also visit and examine a tract of 
country of which the Baileys had heard 
favorable reports, lying between Trav- 
erse City and Glen Arbor and south of 
the latter place, before coming to a 
final decision. The tract near Elk lake 
not proving satisfactory to the Baileys, 
the party started in the direction of 
Glen Arbor, arriving at Traverse City 
on Saturday morning. It had been 
their intention co remain there overjSun- 
day, but an incident, which in its re- 
sults may to us of the present day seem 
amusing, caused them to change their 
minds. In those days the antislavery 
agitation was at its height, and discus- 
sions commenced in a friendly spirit not 
unfrequently ended in bitter hostility. 
Mr. Carrier was an earnest, outspoken, 
uncompromising hater of the system of 
American slavery, having no patience 
with its northern apologists. While 
waiting for breakfast in Hannah, Lay & 
Co's boarding-house, he fell into con- 
versation with the landlord, and became 
so displeased with the latter's expres- 
sion of proslavery sentiments that he re- 
fused to remain. Starting again about 
nine o'clock in the forenoon, the party 
pushed on as rapidly as they were able, 
on a trail so blind as to be followed 
with great difllculty, till darkness com- 
pelled them to encamp. They passed 
the night in great discomfort, without 
shelter, suffering from thirst, and a part 
of the time exposed to a drenching rain. 
In the morning they went on as far as 
the shore of Glen lake, where a deserted 
log cabin afforded them shelter for the 
remainder of the day and the following 
night. On arriving at Glen Arbor, the 
explorers were so well pleased with the 
country they had seen that they resolved 
to return at a future day, and make a 
temporary home at that place till a lo- 
cation suitable for their purpose could 
be definitely fixed on. As a matter of 
prudence, however, it was thought best 
to first take a look at Missouri. Mr. C. 
E. Bailey and Mr. Carrier accordingly 
visited the northern part of that state, 
but returned fully convinced that, all 
things considered, the Grand Traverse 
country offered more and better facili- 
ties for their contemplated enterprise 
than any other open to settlement.* 

A decision having been reached, 
Messrs. John and Horace C. Bailey and 
H. A. Wolcott, with their families. 



moved to G len Arbor in the fall of 
1857. t Mr. C. E. BaUey remained for 
the winter in Illinois, where he was tem- 
porarily preaching, and where he pro- 
pared the articles of association for the 
colony. They are styled " Articles of 
Agreement and Plaus for a Christian 
Colony and Institute of Learning, to be 
located in the Grand Traverse Bay coun- 
try. Northern Michigan." To the orig- 
inal articles are attached the autograph 
signatures of Charles E. Bailey, John 
Bailey, James F. Bailey, Lorenzo Bai- 
ley, H. C. Bailey, H. A. Wolcott, B. 
A. Severance, Amzi D. Barber, C. T. 
Carrier, J. B. Walker, and Charles Burr. 
In them it was stipulated that aU stock 
subscribed and paid in should be ex- 
pended in the purchase of government 
lands, and that qne-fourth < f« all the 
government lands obtained by the stock- 
holders, either individually or jointly, 
should be devoted to the establishment 
and permanei^ endowmeut of a college 
or university, to be located on the lands 
of the colony. The college or universi- 
ty was to be of such a character as to af- 
ford to both sexes, without distinction 
of color, the opportunity of acquiring 
a liberal education. Provision was 
made for grounds for a church, a parson- 
age, a common school building, and a 
cemetery, and a tract was to be set 
apart for a college farm. All convey- 
ances of colony lands were to contain a 
clause forever prohibiting on them the 
manufacture, sale or gift, except strictly 
for mechanical and medicinal purposes, 
of all intoxicating liquors. 

During the winter, Mr. John Bailey 
made an exploring tour south from Glen 
Arbor, passing east and south of the 
point where the village of Benzonia was 
afterwards located. Traveling, by rea- 
son of the snow, was difficult and toil- 
some. Returning, Saturday night over- 
took him just west of the outlet of Crys- 
tal lake. Though within a day's walk 
of home, he chose to remain in camp 
till Monday morning, preferring to en- 
dure the discomforts of the situation 
rather than violate the sancity of the 
Sabbath by traveling. 

As early the following spring, (1858,) 
as it was deemed safe to travel by wa- 
ter, Mr. C. E. Bailey and his family 
came to Glen Arbor. They were accom- 
panied by Mr. Charles Burr and his two 
sons, of Bellevue, Ohio. 

Immediately after the arrival of the 
new-comers, a party of jix set out on an 
exploiing tour, for the purpose of fixing 
definitely on a site for the colony and 
village. The place selected as the cen- 
tral point, was one mile south and two 
miles east of the present site of the vil- 
lage of Benzonia, though a minority of 
the party were at that time in favor of 



A HlSTOKi Ob' THE GKAND TRAVEESE KEGIOJS. 



47 



the present site. A location having 
been determined on and the lands se- 
lected, Mr. Burr and Mr. Woloott were 
chosen delegates to visit the United 
States laud ofSce and make the par 
chase. 

During the summer Messrs. John and 
C. E. Bailey made several visits to the 
proposed site of the colony. A small 
boat was constructed, that two men 
could carry, which was conveyed over 
the ridge that beparates Lake Michigan 
and CrysttU lake, and launched on the 
latter. The vicinity of the purchase 
could then be reached from Glen Arbor 
by coasting along the shore of Lake 
Michigan to the portage over the ridge, 
crossing it, and passing iu the small 
boat up Crystal lake to its eastern ex- 
tremity. Returning from one of these 
visits, they were once compelled by 
stress of weather to remain over Sunday 
near Point Betsey light Louse, when 
Mr. C. E. Bailey improved the opportu- 
nity to preach to a small audience in a 
fisherman's shanty. Capt. Emory and 
bis son, of the peninsula, happening to 
be present, were among the hearers. 
The sermon was the first ever preached 
iu Benzie county. 

The lumber for the first house had to 
be transported from Glen Arbor to the 
month of the Betsey river in small boats, 
and then up that stream to a point as 
near the intended location as practicable. 
Several days were spent in clearing the 
river of obstructions. Becoming discour- 
aged with the magnitude and diflSculties 
of the work, Mr. Wolcott and the Baileys 
commenced explorations for an availa- 
ble land route for some part of the way. 
While engaged in this project, they had 
occasion to pass over the tract on which 
the village has since been built, and all 
became convinced that, all things con- 
sidered, it was a more suitable location 
for the central point of the colony than 
the one already selected. A change was 
accordingly agreed upon, and the loca- 
tion of the future village, now Benzonia, 
was permanently fixed. 

In the latter part of October, final 
preparations having been made for lo- 
cating permanently in their new home, 
a vessel was chartered to convey their 
goods from Glen Arbor to the month of 
the Betsey, the womeu and children be- 
ing provided with conveyance in a small 
boat. The party consisted of Mr. and 
Mrs. C. E. BaUey, Mrs. John Bailey 
and two children, Mr. and Mrs. Wolcott, 
Mr. and Mra Horace Burr, and Mr. Eli- 
jah Burr. Dr. R. A. Severance and Mr. 
Charles Burr, father of the Burr broth-, 
ers, accompanied the party for the 
double purpose of rendering assistance 
and viewing the country. Mr. John 
Bailey and the widow of Horace 0. Bai- 



ley, being in ill health, had gone to 
Cleveland, Ohio, for medical advice. It 
was eleven o'clock at night when they 
lauded at the" mouth of the Betsey, 
where the village of Frankfort now 
stands. There were three Canadian 
French families living there at the time 
. — Wm. Bobar and his son-in-laws John 
Greenwood and Frank Martin — with one 
of which the party found accommoda- 
tions for the night. Then two days and 
a half were consumed in ascending the 
river. On the third day at noon, they 
landed in the vicinity of their future 
home, a little more than a mile from 
what is now the center of the village. 

In the fall'tjf-^^tb© foHowing year, 
(.1859, ) J. R. Barr and Edward Neil be 
came residents of the colony. Among 
those who came in 1860, were L. W. 
Case, Rev. George Thompson, Joseph 
Carson, Wm. Weston, and a Mr. Risley. 
There were also, at this time, several 
young unmarried persons in the settle- 
ment. The first wedding took place in 
June, the contracting parties being Mr. 
Hugh Marsh and Miss Emily Burr. A 
church was organized, consisting of 
eighteen members. A district school 
was opened, taught by Miss Julia M. 
Case, in a part of the dweUing-house of 
John Bailey. In the winter of 1860 and 
'61, there were thirteen families in the 
settlement. From 1860 to '63 large ad- 
ditions were made to the population by 
the arrival of new settlers. In the early 
part of the latter year, about sixty came 
within a period of ten days. Among 
them were Rev. J. B. Walker, D. D., of 
Sandusky, Ohio, a theological writer of 
some note, and Rev. Reuben Hatch, 
who had been the first president of Oli- 
vet College. 

On the 10th of June of this year, the 
first meeting of the board of trustees of 
the college was held. Dr. Walker was 
elected president of the college, and Mr. 
Hatch professor of languages. Under 
the charge of Professor Hatch, a prepar- 
atory department was opened on the 
first day of July. 

This year, also, the first grist mill 
was got into operation. It was a log 
building, containing a single run of 
stones. The builder, Mr. W. S. Hub- 
bell, who, with his sous, had come to the 
settlement the year previous, had been 
obliged to bring the millstones and the 
machinery from Glen Arbor, where they 
had been landed from a propeller, along 
the shore of Lake Michigan and up the 
Betsey river iu a small boat. 

During the first few years of the exist- 
ence of the colony, gieat inconvenience 
was experienced in consequence of the 
absence of roads. All goods landed at 
Frankfort or brought from Glen Arbor, 
where the lake steamers more frequent- 



ly called, had to be transported in boats 
up the Betsey river, at no small cost of 
patience and labor. Up to 1862 there 
were no roads from Benzonia to other 
settlements. The mail route from Trav- 
erse City to Manistee by way of Benzon- 
ia, was only a trail, or foot-path, marked 
by blazed trees. In summer the mail 
was carried on horseback ; in winter on 
a sort of sled, not unlike the dog sledges 
in use in some arctic countries. It con- 
sisted of a single plank, eight feet long 
and a foot and a half wide, turned up in 
front like a sleigh runner. On this the 
mail bags were securely fastened by 
straps passing over them. The plank 
was drawn by a single horse, scarcely 
sinking into the snow and running over 
fallen trees without difficulty. The driv- 
er usually ran behind, but when fatigued 
sometimes rested himself by riding. 
When, as was sometimes the case, the 
mail carrier was on Indian, he used dogs 
for his team, in true arctic style. An 
incident or two will illustrate the diffi- 
culty of winter travel at that time. 

Mrs. Jacob Barns was the first woman 
who passed over the trail. Her journey 
was accomplished, in company with her 
husband and others, in February, 1859. 
A party of eight, including two Indians 
with the mail, left Traverse City togeth- 
er, being conveyed over the first seven- 
teen miles of the route in a sleigh, when 
they encamped for the night. The 
sleigh could go no further. The next 
day Mrs. Barns rode a favorite pony, 
sometimes being obliged to leap over 
obstructions in the path. They reached 
Benzonia the second night. On the 
morning of the third day they went 
down to the shore of Lake Michigan, at 
or near the present site of Frankfort, 
where Mrs. Barns exchanged the saddle 
for a seat on the dog train of the Ind- 
ians. They traveled the remainder of 
that day and a part of the following 
night on the ice, encountering a terrific 
snow storm and finding considerable 
difficulty in passing a stretch of open 
water. It was miauight when tfiey 
reached a place of shelter at the mouth 
of Portage creek. Prom Portage they 
were conveyed by teams to Grand Ha- 
ven, arriving at that place ten days after 
leaving Traverse City. 

In February, 1862, H. E. Steward and 
L. W. Hnbbell went from Benzonia to 
Traverse City and returned, with oi 
teams and sleds, for the double purpose 
of carrying grain to mill and purchasing 
supplies. The snow wes two and a half 
feet deep, and the track was little more 
than what had been made by the mail 
carrier's horse and plank sled. At that 
time the woods were more open than at 
a later period, and it was possible to get 
through with sleds by frequently run- 



48 



A HlSTOKi: OJ?' THE UKAND TKAVEK8E fffiOION. 



ning over the tranks of fallen trees. 
They were six full days in making the 
round trip, camping in the woods two 
nights both going and retarning. On 
their way out a supply of todder for the 
teams was left at each camping place, to 
be used on their return. 

A road was out through the woods 
from Benzonia to Manistee, by way of 
Bear lake, in January, 1862. - In the fall 
of 1863, due was cut out and made pass- 
able for wagons between Benzo nia and 
Traverse City, the citizens of each set- 
tlement by agreement doing the work 
on that half the route next their own lo' 
cality. 

Immediately after the establishment 
of the colony at Benzonia, Benzie coun- 
ty and the adjacent parts of Grand 
Traverse, Wexford, and Manistee began 
to be dotted with settlements. A com 
pany was formed for the purpose of 
opening business at Frankfort, who 
built a saw mill, estabfisHea a stor^for 
the sale of goods, "md engaged to a 'lim- 
ited extent in the manufacture of staves 
from elm timber, and the exportation of 
hemlock bark. As early as 1861, be- 
sides the three families akeady men- 
tioned as being there in 1858, there 
were living in that vicinity Richard 
BaU, Dr. A. J. Slyfleld. Richard Wes- 
ton, L. A. Daaby, Wm. Cogshell. and 
J. Hadsall. The first three were loca- 
ted at various points north of what is 
now the village, Mr. Hadsall a short 
distance south of it, and Messrs. Dauby 
and Cogshell at the mouth of the river. 
Mr. Dauby was employAf as the busi- 
ness agent of the company, and Mr. 
Cogshell kept their boarding-house. 

Mr Wm. Steele came to Benzonia in 
1861, and soon afterward settled in 
Homestead. In 1863 John Hunt settled 
near Herring lake ; Rev. A. Joy, a bap- 
tist minister, in Joyfield, after whom 
the township was named ; and George j 
B. Pierce in Pleasanton. In 1859, Wm. 
Monroe established his home at the 
place since called Monfbe Center, twelve 
miles south of Traverse City, and was 
soon followed by several of his brothers. 
The nflxt yefflf Charles Downs located 
two miles south of Monroe's. In 1«62 
Jbhn Cotton settled on a homestead claim 
a mile beyond Downs, and in 1863 A.. B. 
Davis located a mile farther on in the 
wilderness. In June of the same year, 
(1863,) Lewis Cornell, Elon Cornell, 
James Wart, and Wm. Masters selected 
lands in Wexford, and in the following 
fall brought on their families, forming 
the nucleus ot what has since been 
known as the Cornell settlement 

• Mr. Carrier never became a resident of the 
Grand Traveree country. At tie breaking oat of 
the war of the rebellion, he was living in Duplain, 
Clinton county. He enlisted in the first regiment 
of Michigan cavalry, and laid down his life in the 



service of his country. It was my sood fortune 
to know him intimately, both as a citizen and a 
soldier, and I take pleasure in adding my testi- 
mony ot his worth to that given by Mr. C. E. Bai- 
ley in a manuscript narrative I have been permit- 
ted to examine. Mr. Bailey says: "I have sel- 
dom, if ever, met a mau who in bo short a time so 
endeared himself to me as he. True to principle, 
active, decided, though never captious, he was al- 
ways ready to be governed by a good reason. A 
sincere friend of the oppressed and a lover of his 
country, he early offered himself iu their and her 
defense, and laid down his life during her struggle 
with the rebel foes of liberty." Some time aftei 
the close of the war, Mr. Carrier's family became 
residents of Benzonia. M. L. L. 

+ Mr. Horace C. Bailey was not permitted to be 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

yVar History — Imperfection of the^ 
Record— Probable Number of Grand 
Traverse Men in the Service — The 
First Martyr— Lists of Volunteers 
— Honorable Mention — Lieutenants 
McClelland, Brooks and Holden— 
War Meetings — Local Bounties — 
Lieut. Oraverat. 
At the time of the present writing, 
scarcely twenty-three years have passed 
since the first gun flLred upon Sumter 
sent a thrill of excitement throughout 
the loyal north, and called her patriotic 
sons to battle, yet it is impossible to 
give anything like a full history of the 
part the people of the Grand Traverse 
country took in the war that followed. 
Those who make history by their deeds, 
usually do not write history. Some one 
who comes after, gathers up the frag- 
mentary records, traditions, and recol- 
lections, and fits them together as best 
he may. Fortunate is the writer whose 
chain of narrative is not made conspicu- 
OM by the great number of its missing 
links. In studying the records of the 
"boys in blue" who volunteered from 
the Grand Traverse country, industrious 
research enables the writer to do little 
more than give names and dates. The 
list of volunteers is so incomplete that 
to publish it seems almost like an act 
of injustice to those whose names do 
not appear. The regiments in which 
they served, are often a matter of con- 
jecture, and the fate of many, some of 
whom may have fallen in battle, per- 
ished in hospitfiis, or been starved to 
death in rebel prisons, is involved in ob- 
scurity. 

To avoid misunderstandings, it should 
be remembered that at the breaking out 
of the war, the unorganized courities of 
Antrim, Leelanaw, and Benzie were at- 
tached to Grand Traverse for civil and 
judicial purposes. When, in this chap- 
ter. Grand Traverse county is men- 
tioned, the territory of the three referred 
to is intended to be included. Grand 
Traverse county as thus defined, was di- 
vided into nine townships — Meegezee, 



Miltou, Whitewater, Peninsula, Trav- 
erse, Leelanau, CentrevUle, Glen Arbor, 
and Crystal Lake. 

The number of men in the territory 
alluded to of an age suitabbe for milita- 
ry service, making no allowance for ex- 
emptions on account of disability, could 
not have exceeded six hundred, and 
probably fell short of that number. 
From this territory, it is believed, more 
than two hundred went into the service 
within the next four years. Of course 
considerable accessions to the popula- 



come a resident of the new colony, but died at ^^^^ resulted from immigration, during 
Olen Arbor iu June, 1858. M. L. L. • j iu ■ ■ ii_ i 

that period, thus increasmg the number 

liable to military duty. 

One of the first to volunteer was Cur- 
tis Fowler, jr., son of Hon. Curtis 
Fowler, judge of probate for Grand 
Traverse county. Fighting bravely in 
the ranks of the gallant First, he was 
wounded at the battle of Bull Run, in 
July, 1861, was discharged from the ser- 
vice on account of disability from the 
wound, and returned home. His broth- 
er, Francis Z. Fowler, considering it a 
Qdatter of honor as well as of patriotism 
that the family should be represented 
in the ranks of the defenders of the 
country, volunteered in his place, and 
laid down his life in the second battle 
of Bull Run the following year, "the 
first martyr from Grand Traverse to the 
slaveholders' rebellion." 

Thirteen volunteers started from 
Traverse City on or about the 13th of 
September, 1861. Their names were as 
follows : Martin A. Hopper, Andrew 
McKillip, Isaac Winnie, James Nichol- 
son, James Fitzpatrick, Wm. E. Sykes, 
Samuel A. McClelland, E. J. Brooks, 
Lewis Steele, Frank May, Aaron Page, 
Orselus Evans, and Thomas Lee. Of 
these the first five had been for a long 
time in the employ of Hannah, Lay & 
Co. On settling with them, Mr. Han- 
nah made each a handsome present, and 
told them that if they were ever ic dis- 
tress or in need of funds, to draw on 
him at sight, and their drafts would be 
honored. Wm. E. Sykes was shefifi' of 
the county. McClelland, Brooks, Steele, 
May, and Page were from Northport. 
Evans was from Whitewater, and Lee 
from Centreville. 

At the time of leaving Traverse City, 
it was the intention of several of these 
men to enlist in Chicago, in Capt. Bus- 
teed's company of light infantry. We 
afterwards find some of them in the 
First New York Artillery, one of their 
number, McClelland, holding the rank 
of second lieutenant. At the battle of 
Malvern Hill, the first of July, 1862, 
the "Grand Traverse boys" received 
special commendation from their officers 
for bravery and good conduct. Of the 
thirteen mentioned above, the loUowing 



A HISTOKY Ob' THE GKAND TKAVEKSE KEGIOJS. 



49 



Wm. CbIHsod, George Flack, Beujamiu 
Battelle, Dudley Wait, John O'Leary, 
Patrick Graham, George Askey, John 
Rodart, John Williams, Lewis Steven- 
son, Andrew Anderson, and Edward 
Dewaire. 

On the 15th of August, 1862, John 
Lewis Patrick, u youug man who had 
been for two years an aupreutice in the 
office of the Grand Traverse Hebaid, 
started for Chicago, where he enlisted 
in the Mercantile Battery. Not long af- 
ter, it fell to t^ie lot of the paper on 
which he had wrought to publish his 
death, which occurred in the hospital at 
Memphis, Teun., on the first of Februa- 
ry, 1863. The editor of the Hebald, 
Morgan Bates, afterwards Lieut. Gov- 
ernor, speaks thus tenderly of his 
young friend : " He was one of the no 
blest and purest young men we ever 
are referred to by name, in a published 
letter from Lieut. McClelland — Sykes, 
Evans, McRillip, Nicholson, and Hop- 
per. In the list of those specially com- 
mended, Lieut. McClelland also gives 
the names of nine other " Grand Trav- 
erse boys " in his company, of whose 
voluntefering and enlistment we have no 
account. They were M. V. Barns, Al- 
bert M. Powers, A. N. Brown, Jared D. 
Delap, James Hutchinson, Charles A. 
Lee, Sidney Brown, Wm. Wilks, and 
Hiram Odell. 

On the fourth day of October, 1861, 
fifteen volunteers left Traverse City for 
Grand Rapids, under command of F. 
W. Cutler, a recruiting officer. The 
following is the list of names : Edward 
Stanley. Mathew Shanley, Eber Stone, 
knew, and it caused a heart- pang when 
he left us to volunteer for the defense 
of hid country. All who knew him 
loved him, and his early death will cast 
a gloom over many hearts. " 

In August, 1862, recruiting was live- 
ly. Capt. E. S. Knapp, (called L. Ed- 
win Knapp in "Michigan in the war,") 
assisted by Lieutenants Jacob E. Sie- 
bert, of Manistee, and Charles H. Hol- 
den, of Northport, raised a company in 
a short time, in Manistee and Grand 
Traverse counties, to which was given 
the name of the "Lake Shore Tigers." 
The following is an imperfect list of the 
men enlisted by Lieut. Holden, in 
Grand Traverse, with the names of the 
townships to which they were credited : 

Whilewate} — P. D. Greenman, Frau- 
cia Hopper, C. R. Lackey, Horace Phil- 
ips, John A. Brainard, Milton Stites, 
John Duncan, Henry Odell, Oaoar Ea- 
ton, George Allen. 

Traverse — Elias Langdon, jr., Thom- 
as Bates, Giles Gibson, Asa V. Church- 
ill, George Moody. 

Peninsula — Gilbert Lacnor, John A. 
Thayer. 



Leelanau — Wm. H. Voice, Mortimer 
Boyes, Henry Budd, George W. Bige- 
low, Wm. W. Nash, Henry Holcomb, 
Charles E. Lehman. 

CeiiirevUle — George Ramsdell, Jo- 
seph Warwick, MelviUe Palmer, Wm. 
Lawson, James Lee, Frederick Cook, 
Jacob Hans, Beidrick White, George 
W. Miller, John Egler, James Adame- 
8on, L. Grant, H. Dunckelow, Thomas 
McCreary, Charles E. Clark, George H. 
Mills. 

Capt. Enapp's company had original- 
ly been intended for the Twenty-first, 
but on arriving at Ionia, that regiment 
was found to be full. Application was 
next made to the Twenty-fifth, then or- 
ganizing at Kalamazoo, but that being 
full also, the company finally proceeded 
to Jacksoj, and was mustered into the 
servico as company A of the Twenty- 
sixth, under Col. Farrar. 

Lieut. Holden, was prosecuting attor- 
ney of the county at the time of organiz- 
ing the company, and resigned his office 
for the purpose of entering the service. 
He was mustered in as first lieutenant, 
and was afterwards made quarter master 
of the regiment. He resigned April 
4th, 1864, and was honorably discharged. 
The second lieutenant was SeweU S. 
Parker, cf Monroe. Lieut. Siebert, 
who helped to enlist the company, does 
not appear ever to have belonged to the 
Twenty-sixth. According to "Michi- 
gan in the War," he belonged to the 
Twentieth, and was killed in action at 
Poplar Spring Church, Va., Sept. 30th, 
1864. Of the enlisted men from Grand 
Traverse, Sergeant Wm. H. Voice died 
in camp at Jackson, Sept. 22d, 1862 ; 
P. D. Greenman at Fairfax, Va. , March 
27th, 1863 ; and George Moody at York- 
town, Va., July 15th, 1863. 

In the summer and fall of 1863, from 
the early part of July till late in Octo- 
ber, Lieut. Edwin J. Brooks, of North- 
port, was engaged in recruiting for the 
Tenth Cavalry, under Col. Foote, hav- 
ing its rendezvous at Grand Rapids, 
Unfortunately there is at hand no list of 
Grand Traverse men who volunteered 
for that regiment under Lieut. Brooks. 
Lieut. Brooks was mustered in as first 
lieutenant of Company E. He was pro- 
moted to a captaincy April 25th, 1864. 
March 13th, 1865, he was made Brevet 
Major of U. S. volunteers "for gallant- 
ry in action at Strawberry Plains east 
Tenn., Nov. 17th, 1864." On the same 
day he was further promoted to Brevet 
Lieut, colontl U. S. volunteers, "for 
gallant and meritorious conduct through 
four years of active service." He was 
mustered out and honorably discharged 
Nov. 11th, 1865. 

In September, while Lieut. Brooks 
was reoruiting, the citizens of Traverse, 



anxious to make up the full quota of 
the township by voluntary enlistment, 
raised by subscription a fund for the 
payment of fifty dollars bounty to each 
recruit enlisted and credited to the 
township before the expected draft 
should take place. 

On the 12th of October, Mcial infor- 
mation having been received that the 
draft would take place on the 26th of 
that month, and that only eleven men 
were needed to fill up the quota of Grand 
Traverse county, the board of supervi- 
sors appropriated eleven hundred dollars 
to a fund to be called the military boun- 
ty enlistment fund. The chairman and 
clerk of the board were authorized to 
draw orders on this fund for one hun- 
dred dollars each in favor of the first 
eleven men who should enlist and be 
sworn into the service of the United 
States prior to the 23d of the month, 
provided they should be accredited to 
the county in the coming draft. 

During the following winter, addition- 
al calls for troops made it necessary to 
hold out additional inducements for vol- 
untary enlistment. In the month of 
February a series of war meetings was 
held in Traverse, which resulted in the 
calling of a special township meeting, to 
authorize the issuing of bonds for the 
purpose of raising money to pay boun- 
ties to volunteers. 

The efforts at enlisting were sncceas- 
ful. On the second day of March, forty- 
two recruits left Traverse City for the 
rendezvous at Grand Rapids, constitu- 
ting the full quotas for Traverse, Penin- 
sula, and Centreville. On the evening 
previous to their departure, the ladies 
gave them an entertainment, providing 
a bountiful supper, at the boarding- 
house of Hannah, Lay & Co., at which 
a large proportion of the population of 
the village and surrounding country was 
present. Mr. Hannah presided, brief ad- 
dresses wore made by Hon. Morgan Bates 
and Rev. J. H. Crumb, and the scene was 
enlivened by patriotic and soul-stirring 
music, under the direction of Mr. 
Charles H. Day. 

The following is a list of the volun- 
teers : 

Traverse — Albert S. Brooks, Earnest 
Crain, Wm. W. Bradley, George L. 

Smith, Edward Beavis, Aaron Mettes, 
Myrou A. Moody, Paul Gravel, Robert 
Myhill, James Lynch, Tobias F. Hough- 
taling, John Sutherland, Wm. W. John- 
son, Henry C. Fuller, Sands Moon, 
Alonzo F. Hopkins, John Flannery, 
James Monroe, George W. Hargraves, 
Wilson P. Johnson. 

Peninsula— J&mea Bimey Lancaster, 
Charles Lonkey, Columbus Winnie, 
Richard W. Smith, Abram D. Lang- 
worthy, Francis L. Bourasaw, Wm. B. 
Mnnn, John M. Alhson. 

13 



50 



A HISTORY OP THE GKAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



Centreville—ThomsiB Harmer, Adam 
Cook, James Manaeaa, Isaac Clark, 
James Mason, Jacob Burger, Clonve 
Warren, Martin Novotney, Ferdinand 
Kord, Philip Egler, Albert Norris, Hen- 
ry Lemmerwell, James Clark, Martin 

Waohall. 

Several of these men found their way 
into the Fourteenth regiment, and first 
entered upon active duty at the front in 
the vicinity of Nashville, Tenn. Those 
known to have been in that regiment are 
Grain, Mattes, Gravel, Lynch, Lancas- 
ter, Lonkey, Winnie, E. W. Smith, 
Langworthy, Bourasaw, and Allison. 
The names of the regiments in which 
the others served are not known. My- 
ron A. Moody died in hospital at Grand 
Rapids, March 26th, 1864. 

In the summer of 1864, the call for 
troops taxed to the utmost the patriot- 
ism and ability of Grand Traverse, as 
well as most other sections of the loyal 
north. On the 10th of June a draft 
was had, in Grand Rapids, for White- 
water, Elk Rapids, Milton, Centreville, 
Glen Arbor, and Leelanau. In August 
the township board of Traverse offered 
a bounty of two hundred dollars for re 
cmit». On the 30th of the same mouth 
a meeting of the enrolled men of the 
township was held to raise funds to pay 
an additional bounty. Three thousand 
dollars was subscribed ou the spot. 
With this sum the aggregate of boun- 
ties to each volunteer was raised to near- 
ly six hundred dollars. Twenty-three 
men, under the calls of the president, 
were due from the township. Eight 
had already been obtained, eight more 
came forward at this meeting, and the 
remaining seven were obtained within 
the next forty-eight hours. The names 
of all but one are contained in the fol- 
lowing list : Wm. Tracy, Adolphus Pay- 
ette, Harvey Avery, Ira Chase, Joseph 
Kunn, Nelson C. Sherman, Edward 
Morgan, Ora E. Clark, Wm. Sluyter, 
George Sluyter, Barney Valleau, Zodoc 
Wilcox, James Mason, John Reynolds, 
John Falrue, Leander Curtis, Alburn 
Atwill, Abram Adsit, Marcus Lauore, 
Michael Gallaghn, Austin Bnunou, Da- 
vid Sweeney. All of these except Clark 
went into the Tenth civalry, au.l got 
their first experience of active war at 
Strawberry Plains, east Tenn. 

We close this imperfect war record of 
the Grand Traverse country with the 
following melancholy items : 

Daniel Carmichael, of Traverse City, 
who was a member of a Wisconsin regi- 
ment, died in hospital at Lake Provi- 
dence, May 6th, 1863. 

George Leslie, of Traverse township, 
died in the Shenandoah valley, Sept. 

22d, 1864. „ ,. 

In the fight before Petersburg, on the 

17th of June, 1864, Lieut. G. A. Grav- 



erat, a gallant young officer from Little 
Traverse, laid down his life for his coun- 
try. He was the second lieutenant of 
Company K., First Mich., sharp shoot- 
ers. While fighting by the side of his 
father in the trenches, he saw his parent 
shot dead. Bearing the body to a safe 
spot, weeping bitterly, he dug a grave 
with au old tin pan in the sand, and 
buried it. Then drying his tears, the 
devoted son returned to the battle. His 
rifle told with terrible precision among 
the rebel officers, till he was disabled, 
wounded in the left arm. He was 
brought to Washington, where the arm 
was amputated at the shoulder, result- 
ing in his death on the 10th of the fol- 
lowing month. Lieut. Graverat was 
partly of Indian descent. He was but 
twenty- four years old, was highly edu- 
cated, being master of several modern 
languages, besides being a fine portrait 
and landscape painter and an accom- 
plished musician. 



CHAPTER XXVin. 

Hinderances to Early Settlement— Ig- 
norance and Misrepresentation — 
Indian Reservations — Railroad 
Land Oranta— Beneficial Effects of 
the Building of the Railroad — State 
Swamp Land Roads — The Home- 
stead Law— Indian Reserve Lands 
in Market- Winchell's Report— Pio- 
neer Fruit Growers — Benzie Coun- 
ty Leads in Agricultural Fairs — 
Agricultural Societies Organized — 
Reputation of the Country Estab- 
lished Abroad— Meeting of the State 
Fomological Society at Traverse 
City — The Triumph of the Pioneer 
Fruit- Orowers. 

There were several reasons why the 
Grand Traverse country was not settled 
sooner, and why, when settlements were 
once commenced, its development was 
not more rapid during the period gone 
over in the preceding chapters. 

One reason was that little or nothing 
was known abroad of its attractions and 
advantages. It was not readily accessi- 
ble by land. Until the government lake 
survey furnished reliable information in 
regard to the hydrography of the region, 
the masters of vessels were generally 
unwilling to enter Grand Traverse bay, 
supposing it to be shallow and danger- 
ous. It was for the interest of those en- 
gaged in the cariying trade on the great 
lakes, tw decry Michigan and eulogize 
Illinois and Wisconsin, thus securing 
the profit of conveying emigrants as far 
west as their steamers and vessels sailed. 
Oapt. Blake, once well known on the 
lakes, is said to have been the only one 
of his time who knew the Grand Trav- 
erse country, and was disposed to do it 
justice. He frequently told his passen- 



gers, when ofif the bay, on the way to 
their more distant homes in the west, 
they were passing the most beautiful 
country ever beheld. As late as 1859, 
Horace Greeley, in the Nt w York Trib- 
une, spoke of the northern half of the 
lower peninsula as being cold and unin- 
viting to the cultivator, diversified by 
vast swamps, sterile, gravelly knolls, 
and dense forests of but moderately val- 
uable timber not yet readily accessible, 
so that its settlement was likely to be 
slow, and its population sparse for gen- 
erations. 

Another reason was that, in accord- 
ance with treaty stipulations, several 
townships of choice land were withheld 
from market for Indian reservations. 

Another and more potent reason, and 
one which for many years seriously re- 
tarded the development of the country, 
was the granting of every alternate sec- 
tion of extensive tracts of laud as sub- 
sidies to certain railroad companies, for 
the building of railroads into the coun- 
try from the south. The original inten- 
tion of the general and state govern- 
ments, no doubt, was to speedily open 
the northern wilderness to practical set- 
tlement and improvement. Such would 
have been the result, had the companies 
been held to strict oompliance with the 
terms of the grant. But they were al- 
lowed to hold the lands, or, more strict- 
ly speaking, the lands were held for 
them by the state, being kept out of 
market, for a long term of years after 
the expiration of the time in which the 
roads were to have reached the heart of 
the northern wilderness, while in road- 
making practically nothing was done. 
The citizens of the northern counties re- 
garded the course of the national and 
State fiovernments as unjust and op- 
pressive to their section of the state. 
There were some exciting contests in 
the State legislature, m which their rep- 
resentatives vainly strove, against over- 
whelmii g odds, to induce that body to 
compel the fulfillment ol the terms 
of the grant or cause the lands to be re- 
stored to market. Among the earnest 
advocates in that body of the interests 
of the northern counties, was Mr. Dix- 
on, of Charlevoix, and, later, Messrs. 
Dunlap, of Grand Traverse, and Utley, 
of Newaygo. Failing to secure justice 
to their constituents, Messrs. Dunlap 
and Utley recorded their formal protest 
against what they conceived to be the 
perpetration of a great wrong by the 
legislature in legalizing an extension of 
the time allowed the companies in which 
to build their roads. It was not till 
1869, when the Grand Rapids and Indi- 
ana Company had extended their load 
to Cedar Springs and were rapidly push- 
ing it northward, that any degree of 



A HISTOKY OF THE GKAND TKAVEKSE KEGIOJS. 



51 



coDtideDce in the company or any ex- 
pectations that the road would be built 
within the life of that generation began 
to be felt by the people of the Grand 
Traverse country. Wheu, however, a 
litttle later, it oame to be generally be- 
lieved that the company were now work- 
ing in good fiiith, aud that railroad com 
munication with the south aud east was 
sure to come at no distant day, its 
healthful effect in promoting imorove- 
meuts was speedily feit throughout the 
region. As the road was pushed north- 
ward, settlers flocked in, dotting the 
wildernes in advance of it with their log 
cabins, clustering around, aud giving 
new life to, the little villages already in 
existence, and founding new ones along 
the line of the road, even in advance of 
its completion. The good time long 
waited for had come, and the injustice 
of the past was nearly forgotten in the 
prosperity of the present. 

There remained, however, one subject 
of contention between the people of the 
northern counties and the railroad com- 
panies. Thus far the railroad lauds had 
been exempt from taxation. This was 
regarded by the people as unequal and | 
nnjoBt, The hardy pioneer, enduring 
the privations of backwoods life while 
toiling to hew out of the forest a home 
for bis family, could not understand j 
why his new farm, on which was only a ! 
log cabin and a few acres of improve- [ 
ment, should be taxed, while the lands i 
of a great and rich corporation adjoin- 1 
ing his own, which were constantly in- 1 
creasing in valne from the improve- ' 
ments he and his neighbors were mak- 1 
ing, should be exempt. In the legisla- 
tive session of 1871, the Grand Trav- j 
erse country being represented in the | 
House by Mr. Mitchell and in the Sen- j 
ate by Mr. Moffatt, the latter moved an I 
amendment to the general railroad bill 
then pending, subjecting the lands of 
railroad companies to taxation, which, ! 
after a warm debate and in the face of j 
powerful opposition from a strong rail- 
road lobby, finally prevailed. 

Looking back from our stand point of 
a later date, we can see that though the 
people had good cause to complain of 
the delay, the building of the road, 
even with the concomitant hardship ' 
arising from the earlier proceedings, 
has been, on the whole, an agency of no 
small importance in developing the re- 
sources of the ccrantry. Its population, 
wealth, and business interests are far in 
advance of what they could by any pos- 
sibility have been at the present time, 
if tbe road had not been built at all. 

An agency that contributed largely to 
tbe settlement and improvement of the 
cooutry, the influence of which began 
to be felt immediately after tbe close of 



the war, was the policy of the State in 
regard to the swamp lands within its 
borders. These hnds had been granted 
to tbe State by an act of congress, on 
condition that their proceeds should be 
applied to their drainage and reclama- 
tion. As the most direct means to the 
execution of the terms imposed on the 
State, the legislature wisely determined 
to appropriate a considerable portion of 
them to the construction of roads 
through the less improved sections of 
the country, thus opening to settlement 
the tracts in which the lands were prin- 
cipally situated, and bringing them into 
the possession of actual settlers, whose 
interest it would be to improve and cul- 
tivate them. In accordance with this 
policy, from 1863 to 1868 roads were 
opened by State authority and with trifl- 
ing expense to the people, intersecting 
various portions of the Grand Traverse 
country, the principal ones running 
from Manistee by way of Benzonia to 
Traverse City, from Newaygo to North- 
port, from Traverse City by way of Elk 
Kapicis and Charlevoix to Little Trav- 
erse, and from Traverse City by way of 
Houghton lake to Midland City. The 
opening of these roads was everywhere 
attended by an influx of settlers to the 
localities thus made accessible. It is 
not easy to conceive of a plan by which 
the disposal of the swamp lands could 
have been made to contribute more di- 
rectly and more efficiently to the devel- 
opment of the newer sections of the 
State, and especially of the region of 
country we are considering. 

The homestead law, giving to every 
actual settler from eighty to one hun- 
dred and sixty acres of land for a merely 
nominal sum, which took effect on the 
first of January, 1863, contributed not a 
little to hasten the settlement of the 
country. The entries of homesteads for 
the first month at the United States 
land office at Traverse City, numbered 
one hundred and twenty eight, and for 
the first eight months five hundred and 
twenty-eight. For several years after- 
wards they varied from fifty to eighty 
per month, with the exception perhaps of 
two or three months in the dead of winter 
of each year. It should be understood, 
however, that the Traverse City land dis- 
trict, throughout which these homestead 
entries were scattered, embraced a terri- 
tory much larger than what is being 
treated of in this work as the Grand 
Traverse country proper. 

On the opening of the Indian reserves 
to homesteaders, in the spring of 1874, 
there was a scramble for choice loca- 
tions. Soon after daylight, on the 15th 
of April, the day on which the arrange- 
ment was to take effect, although tbe 
rain was falling fast, and tbe office was 



not open till eight o'clock, men began 
to gather about the land office building. 
So great was the crowd that it was found 
impossible to admit them to the office. 
At eight o'clock a window was thrown 
open, and business commenced. The 
first three applications were made by 
widows, after the reception of which 
things became lively, and continued so 
daring the forenoon. In one week one 
hundred and ninety-four homesteads 
were entered, and two hundred and fifty 
soldiers' declarations filed. The Grand 
Traverse Herald of that date, facetious- 
ly remarks that " fifty-nine of the sixty 
men who came all the way from Petos- 
key to locate the ' N. E. J of Sec '.nd 
have gone home disappointed. Only 
one of them got it. It wasn't the man 
that vociferated the loudest. It wasn't 
the man that slept in the dry goods box. 
It wasn't the man that held on to the 
door knob of the office from midnight 
till eight a. m. It was the man that was 
lucky."' 

With a view to making the attractions 
and advantages of the country better 
known abroad, several prominent citi- 
zens employed Prof . Alexander Winchell, 
state geologist, to examine and report 
upon it, the expense being paid by sub- 
scription. Tbe season of 1865 was 
spent iu the examination, and the report 
was pubUshed the following year. It 
was widely circulated, and created a favor- 
able impression in regard to the country 
for agricultural pursuits, and especially 
for the cultivation of fruit. Prof. Winch- 
ell characterized it as the moat remarkable 
and most desirable section of country in 
the northwest, and expressed his opin- 
ion that as a fruit-growing region it was 
doubtful whether any other part of the 
United States could compete with it. 

From the first it had been evident 
to those engaged in the study and culti- 
vation of the soil that the Grand Trav- 
erse country, contrary to preconceived 
opinions and published reports, was 
well adapted to general farming, and es- 
pecially to the snccessf al cultivation of 
fmit. On its adaptation to fruit-growing, 
its reputation was now being mainly 
buUt. 

As early as 1859. the Grand Traverse 
HkbaIiD, then in the first year of its ex- 
istence, published notices of apples 
grown by Rev. Geo. N. Smith, of North- 
port, that showed remarkable keeping 
qualities ; other choice apples, from the 
orchard of John Garland, on the penin- 
sula ; and peaches from Mr. Norris's 
orchard, two miles from Traverse City, 
as good as the editor had ever tasted. 
Among the apples sent to the Hebald, 
in September by Mr. Smith, were Har- 
vest, Tart Bough, Sweet Bough, and 
Summer King, of that season's growth, 



52 



A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



and with them Rhode Island Greenings 
and Blue Pearmains grown the previous 
year, but sound and fit for use. 

Mr. Smith was one of the earliest pio- 
neers of fruit growing, having brought 
a few email trees with him when he j 
came to Northport in 1849, to which 
considerable additions were made the 
following year. Hon. J. G. Ramsdell, 
for many years circuit judge of his dis- 
trict, who came to Traverse City in 1861, 
and established a fruit farm on a hill- 
side in the vicinity, did much toward 
making known abroad the capabilities of 
the soil and climate, and establishing a 
reputation for the excellence of the 
iruit. On the peninsula many of the 
settlers turned their attention to fruit- 
growing at an early day. Not one of 
the first in point of time, but the first 
among his fellows for scientific knowl- 
edge practically applied in his favorite 
pursuit, was Mr. George Parmelee, who 
had been a pioneer peach-giower in St. 
Joseph county. Mr. Parmelee came to 
the peninsula in 1867, for the purpose 
of establishing a fruit farm, with a view 
especially to the cultivation of apples, j 
Both fruit-growing and general agricul- \ 
ture nre largely indebted to hioi for | 
their successful and profitable develop- 
ment. 

The honor of leading in the matter of 
agricultural fairs belongs to Benzie 
county. The first was lield at Benzon- 
ia, on the eighth of October,* 1864, sev 
eral years before the organization of the 
county agricultural society. The pre- 
vious notice was short, and the day was 
blustering and unpropitious, yet the fair 
was not a failure. The grains and vege- 
tables exhibited were, for the most part, 
first crops from new ground imperfect- 
ly worked. There were no premiums, 
the only awaru being au honorable 
mention by the committees, the merit of 
the article being classed as extra, good, 
or fair. There was but little fruit. Of 
live stock of all kinds, only three ani- 
mals were mentioned by the committee, 
presumably the only three present. 

In 1868 county agricultural societies 
were organized in Leelanau and Benzie 
counties. In Grand Traverse county a 
union society was organized, intended 
to embrace, besides Grand Traverse, 
Leelanau, Antrim, and Emmet, includ- 
ing in the territory of the last what is 
now Charlevoix. Of the Leelanau so- 
ciety A. B. Duulap was elected presi- 
dent, John T. Miller vice president, 
and John E. Fisher secretary. Mr. 
Dunlap soon resigned, and was succeed- 
ed by Eev. George N. Smith. Of the 
Benzie society W. S. Hubbell was pres- 
ident, E. P. Smith secretary and W. J. 
Young ti'eaaurer. The Grand Traverse 



union agricultural society, having its 
headquarters at Traverse City, elected 
A. B. Dunlap president, K. Hatch, Jr., 
secretary, D. C. Leach treasurer, and 
several vice presidents, distributed 
among the counties represented in the 
society. Successful fairs were held by 
all these societies in the fall following 
their organization. 

Closely following the organization of 
the agricultural societies, came that of 
the Peninsula Farmers' Club, at Old 
Mission. This club was fortunate in 
having enrolled among its members 
several men of talent and education, 
who were also practical farmers, often 
performing the hardest labor of the farm 
with their own hands. Its weekly dis- 
cussions, which, except for the first year 
or two, were published in the Herald 
and the Eagle, did much toward raising 
the agriculture of the region to a high 
standard of excellence. 

Through the systematic and persever- 
ing efi'orts of several enterprising per- 
sons, earnestly seconded by these socie- 
ties, the Grand Traverse region at last 
came to be well known abroad as an ag- 
ricultural and fruit-growing country. 
Its repeated successes iu competition 
with other sections at the meeting of 
the state pomological society and at the 
state fairs, attracted the attention of the 
leading agriculturists and fruit men 
throughout the state. As a result an 
appointment was made for a meeting of 
the state pomological society at Trav- 
erse City, at the time of holding the 
union fair at that place, in October, 

1873. 

This opportunity to show to appreci- 
ative visitors the products of the coun- 
try, was not lost upon the citizens. 
The fair was a grand success. Never 
before had such a display of fruit been 
seen in northern Michigau, and seldom 
in any western state. The sight was 
truly magnificent. The pioneers had 
good reason to be proud of their work. 
Their visitors were astonished. 

Two evenings during the fair were oc- 
upied by meetings of the state pomo- 
logical society, at which the merits of 
the several kinds of fruit on exhibition 
were freely discussed, and much inter- 
esting information elicited from residents 
in regard to the topography of the coun- 
try, its sou and climate, and its adap- 
tation to the production of fruit. A com- 
mittee visited by invitation several of 
the principal orchards in the vicinity of 
Old Mission, speaking in glowing terms 
in their pubUshed report of tne fruit 
and fruit-growers of that neighborhood. 

The next year, (1874,) the society of- 
fered premiums for the more merito- 
rious orchards in the state, of several 



classes designated. The awarding com- 
mittee having in the discbarge of their 
duty visiteil Old Mission, in their re- 
port made to the society at its October 
meeting awarded seven first aud four 
second premiums to orcliards in that 
vicinity. The reputation of the Grand 
Traverse county for its fruit was estab- 
lished. The triumph of its pioneer 
fruit-growers was complete. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

Division of the Orand Traverse Region 
into Counties — Organization of 
Orand Traverse — First Election — 
First Circuit Court — First Meeting 
of Board of Supervisors — First 
Equalization of Taxes — Emmet — 
Manitou--Leelanau— Antrim— Ben- 
zie — Wexford — Charlevoix— Kalkas- 
ka — Missaukee. 

In 1840 the territory now constituting 
Grand Traverse, by an act of the legis- 
lature was "laid offas a separate county, 
to be known and designated as the coun- 
ty of Omena.'" The territory now con- 
stituting Leelanau and Benzie counties, 
with the Manitou islands, was "laid off 
as a separate county, to be known and 
designated as the county of Leelanau." 
Wexford, Antrim, Charlevoix, and Em- 
met, were also "laid off" as counties by 
the same act. Within the territory thus 
designated there were neither county 
nor township organizations. The new 
counties remained attached to Mackin- 
ac, and the first settlers, if they desired 
to vote, were obliged to perform a jour- 
ney to Mackinac for the purpose. 

Au act for the organization of Grand 
Traverse" county was passed in 1851. 
The territory included within its bound- 
aries was the same that had constituted 
the county of Omena, except those por- 
tions of the present townships of East 
Bay and Whitewater Ij iug north of the 
north line of township twenty-seven, 
which, for some unknown reason, were 
left out. The act established the coun- 
ty seat "at Boardmau's Mills, on the 
east fraction of section number three, in 
township twenty-seven north, of range 
eleven west, uutU otherwise provided." 
Provision was made for holding an 
election for county officers on the first 
Monday in August, the officers then 
elected to remain in office until the gen- 
eral election in 1852, and until their suc- 
cessors were elected and qualified. 

On the day designated, the election 
was held at the house of Horace Board- 
man. The whole of the newly formed 
county constituted the township of 
Omena, but it does not appear that there 
was an existing township organization. 
The inspectors of election were Horace 
Boardman, George N. Smith, Hosmer 
K. Cowles, and Luther O. Scotield. 



A HlSTUKi Vh' THE GKANJJ TKAVJKKSK KEOIOJS. 



53 



The uumber of legal voters present was 
twenty-eight, whicL was also the high- 
est number of votes given for any office. 
The following is the list of officers, 
nearly all of whom ware elected uuau- 
imously : Proseciitiug attorney, Orliu P. 
Hughson ; county judge, Joseph Dame; 
second judge, Martiu 8. Wait ; couuty 
clerk and register of deeds, Luther O. 
Scofield ; judge of probate, George N. 
Smith ;* sheriff, Wm. H. Case : treas- 
urer, Horace Boardmau ; coroners, Alan- 
sou Caatield and Richard W. Smith. 

At the legislative session of 1853 an 
act was passed " to complete the organi- 1 
zation of Grand Traverse county. " It 
annexed to the county tliose portions of | 
the former county of Omena that had 
been omitted by the act of 1851, provid- 
ed for a special election of county of- 
ficers, to be held on the first Tuesday of | 
May, and divided the couuty into two ' 
townships — Peninsula and Traverse. 
Peninsula consisted of the same territo- ' 
ry as at present ; all the remainder of I 
the county was comprised in the town- ' 
ship of Traverse. The first township , 
meeting in Peninsula was to be held at 1 
Old Mission ; that of Traverse at the ' 
county seat. The unorganized counties 
of Antrim, Kalkaska, Missaukee, Wex- 
ford, Manistee, and Leelanau, the last 
including Benzie and the Manitou isl- 
ands, were attached to Grand Traverse 
for judicial and municipal purposes. 
Antrim county constituted a single 
township For township purposes, Kal- 
kaska and Missaukee were attached to 
Antrim, and Wexford to Traverse. Lee- 
lanau, with it attached territory, was 
erected into a township of the same 
name, the first township meeting of 
which was to be held at the house of 
Peter Dougherty. Practically, tuen, in 
1853, Grand Traverse county consisted 
of five township organisations, embrac- 
ing the following territory — Antrim, the 
whole of Antrim, Kalkaska and Missau- 
kee counties ; Peninsula, that part of | 
the peninsula in Grand Traverse bay ly- 1 
ing north of the line between township [ 
twenty-seven and twenty-eight; Traverse, j 
all of Grand Traverse county not includ- 
ed in Peninsula, with the attached couu- 
ty of Wexford ; Leelanau, the territory 
now comprised in Leelanau and Beazie 
counties and the Manitou islands ; Man- 
istee, the whole of Manistee county. 

There had been no election held in ; 
the county at the time for holding the 
general election in 1852. In accordance 
with the act of 1853, a special county 
election was held on the first Tuesday [ 
in May of the latter year. The board of 
county canvassers met at the county seat 
on the 9th, and organized by electing 
Thomas Cutler chairman and Theron J 
Boatwick secretary. The canvass show- ; 



ed that the whole number of voters who 
had participated in the election was sev- 
enty-one. The following is a list of 
the officers elected : Judge of probate, 
Geoige N. Smith ; sheriff, Norman B. 
Cowles ; county clerk, Thomas Cutler ; 
couuty treasurer, Hosmer K. Cowles; 
prosecuting attorney, Robert McLellan ; 
register of deeds, Thomas Cutler ; coun- 
ty surveyor, Abram S. Wadsworth ; cor- 
oners, Lewis Miller and Luther O. Sco- 
field. 

The first session of the cirooit court 

in the newly organized county, which 
was also the first in the Grand Traverse 
region, commenced on the 27th of July, 
and closed the following day. A part of 
the unfinished dwelling of Thomas Cut- 
ler, the same in which Mr. Cutler's fam- 
Oy now reside, was used as a court room. 
Hon. George Martin was the judge. 
The only lawyer presfent was Ebenezer 
Gould, of Owosso, who had come with 
Judge Martin. Mr. McLellan, recently 
elected prosecuting attorney, had not 
been admitted to the bar. Mr. Gould 
was appointed by the judge to act as 
prosecuting attorney for that session 
and Mr. McLellan, on application and 
examination in open court, was admit- 
ted to practice. As the court had no 
seal, it was ordered that the temporary 
seal should be the eagle side of the 
American half dollar. There was but 
little business requiring tue attention of 
the court. 

The first meeting of the board of su- 
pervisors was a special one, held pursu- 
ant to a call of three of their number — 
Robert Campbell, John S. Barker, and 
S. G. Rice. Responsive to the call, the 
board convened at the store of Cowles & 
Campbell, in Peninsula, on the 27th of 
July. There were present Robert Camp- 
bell of Peninsula, John S. Barker of 
Antrim, and Wm. M. JIcKillip of Trav- 
erse. After organizing, by electing Mc- 
Killip chairman and Campbell clerk, 
they adjourned to meet at the store of 
Hannah, Lay & Co., at Traverse City, 
the following day. On the second day, 
in addition to those already mentioned, 
there was present Samuel G. Rice, of 
Leelanau. Manistee was not represent- 
ed.. 

The first equalization of the assess- 
ment rolls of the several townships, as 
shown by the records, occurred at the 
regular meeting of the board in October, 
1854. The taxable property of the coun- 
ty amounted to S204,854.97, distributed 
as follows : 

ATJTBIM. 

Rc»l $38,928 SB 

PersoDBl 8,94800 J4S,873 38 

PEMINSOLA.t 

Personal IS.aoS 50 

TBAVEB8E. 

Real 40,64184 

Pereonal 15,815 00 55,996 62 



LEELANAU. 

Real 8,411 47 

Personal 14,704 00 23,115 47 

UANISTBE.t 

Real 64,704 00 

Total $204,854 97 

An ;ict was passed by the legislature 
of 1853, which received the api«oval of 
the governor on the 29th of January and 
took immediate effect, providing for the 
organization of Emmet county. The 
Mormons, as we have already seen, had 
at this time a strong and flourishing set- 
.tlement on the Beaver islands. There 
were a few families of the saiqe sect at 
Pine river. Mr. Porter was quietly con- 
ducting his mission work among the In- 
dians at Bear Creek. There were a 
number of whites at Little Traverse, and 
fishermen were scattered here and there 
on tile islands and at various points on 
'the shore. The new county included 
within its limits the present county of 
Emmet, all of that part of the present 
county of Charlevoix lying north of 
township thirty-two, together with the 
Beaver islands and, in the language of 
the act, "all the islands, bars, rocks, 
and lands under water, contaguotls to 
the said counties of Emmet and Charle- 
voix, and within the said state of Michi- 
gan, not heretofore by any legislative 
enactment included within the body of 
any county in the state." It was divid- 
ed into three townships — Peaine, Gali- 
lee and Charlevoix. The first election 
for county officers was to be held on the 
first Tuesday in the following May, 
The location of the county seat having 
been left to the board of supervisors, 
was afterwards fixed at St. James. As 
already stated in a previous chapter,! an 
act was passed for the reorganization of 
the county in 1855. At that time the 
boundaries were so changed as to leave 
out the Beaver and Fox islands. 

The act for the re-organization of Em- 
met received the approval of the govern- 
or on tlie 13th of February, 1865. On the 
12th au act had been approved for the 
orgauizatiou of Manitou county. It 
consisted of " the islands in Lake Mich- 
igan known as the Beaver group, the 
north and south Fox islands, and the 
north and south Manitou islands." The 
Beaver islands were divided into two 
townships, Peaine and Galilee, the Fox 
islands constituted the township of Pat- 
mos, and the north and south Manitous 
that ot Manitou. 

No further changes of counties were 
made in the Grand Traverse region till 
1863, when the legislature passed acts 
for the organization of Leelanaw and 
Antrim. The old county of Leelanaw 
was divided on the south line of town- 
ship twenty-eight north, that part lying 
north of the line constituting the new 
county of the same name, and the terri- 

14 



54 



A HISTOET OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



tory south of it the county of Benzie. 
The latter remained attached to Grand 
Traverse for judicial and municipal pur- 
poses. It was provided that the county 
Beat of 'Leelanaw should be determined 
by a plurality vote of the electors, the 
law requiring a choice to be made be- 
tween Glen Arbor, Leland, and North- 
port. The election resulted in favor of 
Northport, where the county seat re- 
mained till 1882, when it was removed 
to Leland. The county at the time of 
its organization consisted of three town- 
ships— Centerville, Glen Arbor and Lee- 
lanaw. The first election for county of- 
ficers was held at the time of the to wn- 
ship meetings, on the first Monday in 
April. The following is a list of the 
first county officers : Sheriff, Edward 
Friend ; judge of probate, John E. 
Fisher; county treasurer, John I. Mil- 
ler ; county clerk, Gerhard Verf urth ; 
register of deeds, Gerhard Verf urth; 
prosecuting attorney, Eli C. Tuthill ; 
county surveyor, Joseph Glen; coron- 
ers, George Ray and George N. Smith. 
The highest number of votes cast for 
any office was three hundred and thirty- 
eight. 

The boundaries of Antiim, as defined 
in the act of organization, were the same 
that exist at the present time, except 
that they included the townships num- 
bered thirty-two north of range five, six, 
and seven west, which have since been 
made a part of Charlevoix. The unor- 
ganized counties of Kalkaska, Crawford, 
and Otsego were attached to it for mu- 
nicipal and judicial purposes. The or- 
ganized townships were Banks, Milton, 
and Meegezee, the name of the last be- 
ing changed to Elk Eapids. The first 
election for county officers was held on 
the first Monday in April. J. W. Ar- 
nold was elected sheriff; Henry H. No- 
ble, treasurer ; James L. Gilbert, coun- 
ty clerk and register of deeds ; Solomon 
Case, judge of probate : A. S. Wads- 
worth, county surveyor ; Alexander 
Campbell and Gurdon Geer, coroners. 

After the organization of Leelanaw 
and Antrim, a period of six years elapsed 
before it was deemed necessary to erect 
into organized counties any of the re- 
maining territory of the Grand Traverse 
region. Then at the session of 1869, 
the legislature, by three several acts, 
provided for organizing Benzie, Wex- 
ford, and Charlevoix. 

Benzie county as organized, consisted 
of the territory separated from Leelanaw 
and designated as Benzie by the act of 
1863, which had since remained at- 
tached to Grand Traverse. It already 
contained eight organized townships — 
Almira, Benzonia, Crystal Lake, Gil- 
more, Homestead, Joyfield, Weldon, 
and Colfax. The first election for coun- 



ty officers was held on tbe first Monday 
in April. Addison P. Wheelock was 
elected sheriff; Koland O. Crispin, 
county treasurer ; Theodore CJ Walker, 
county clerk and register.'of deeds ; 
Digby B. Butler, judge of probate; 
James B. Delbridge, prosecuting attor- 
ney ; Wm. J. Young, circuit court com- 
missioner ; George E. Steele, county sur- 
veyor ; A. E. Walker, superintendent of 
schools ; A. J. Slyfield and ^L. Kenny, 
coroners. The organic act provided 
that the location of the county seat 
should be determined by a vote of the 
electors. For this purpose an election 
was to be held the first Monday in July. 
There was to be written on the ballots 
one of the following names of places — 
Frankfort, Benzonia, and the southeast 
quarter of the northeast quarter of sec- 
tion twenty-eight, township twenty-six 
north, of range fourteen west. The 
place last named was in the township of 
Homestead. If one of the places re- 
ceived a majority of all the votes, it was 
to be the county seat ; if no place re- 
ceived a majority, then another election 
was to bo held on the first Monday of 
the following October, at which the elec- 
tors should designate by a majority vote 
one of the two places which should have 
received the highest number of votes at 
the July election. At tbe fii-st election 
the vote stood for Benzonia 75, Home- 
stead 237, Frankfort 194. As there was 
no choice, the second election was held, 
resulting in favor of Frankfort by 301 
to 265. At a later date, the board of 
supervisors submitted to the electors 
the question of removal to a site near 
the village of Benzonia. The board of 
canvassers decided the result of tbe elec- 
tion to be in favor of removal, but the 
legality of their doings was questioned, 
and a long course of litigation ensued. 
In the mean time, the removal was ac- 
complished in fact, and when a final ju- 
dicial decision was reached the act of re- 
moval .was sustained. 

The act organizing Wexford divided 
that county into four townships — Hano- 
ver, Wexford, Springfield, and Colfax. 
The unorganized county of Missaukee 
was attached to it for municipal and ju- 
dicial purposes, being, for township 
purposes, divided between the town- 
ships of Colfax and Hanover. The 
county seat was " located in township 
twenty-four north, of range twelve west, 
at or near what is called the Manistee 
bridge," now the village of Sherman. 
The list of the first county officers, 
elected on the first Monday in April, 
was as follows: Sheriff, Harrison H. 
Skinner ; county treasurer, John H. 
Wheeler ; county clerk, Leroy P. Cham- 
penois; register of deeds, Leroy P. 
Champenois; judge of probate, Isaac 



N. Carpenter ; prosecuting attorney, 
Oscar H. MUls ; circuit court commis- 
sioner, Oscar H. Mills ; county survey- 
or, R. S. Clain ; coroners, D. B. Davis 
and O. Morrell.' 

Charlevoix county was carved out of 
the southern part of Emmet and the 
northern part of Antrim, with a corner 
clipped from Otsego. It was described 
in the organic act as consisting of the 
following territory : "Townships thirty- 
two north, of ranges four, five, six, and 
seven west ; townships thirty-three north, 
of ranges, four, five, six, seven, eight, 
and nine west ; the south half of town- 
ship thirty- four north, of ranges four, 
five, and six west ; and all of townshipp 
thirty four north, of ranges seven and 
eight west." A special election was 
held on the first Monday in May, at 
which the first set of county officers was 
elected as follows: Sheriff, Ricljard 
Cooper ; prosecuting attorney, Edward 
H. Green ; county clerk, John S. Dix 
on ; register of deeds, Morris J. Stock- 
man ; -county treasurer, Jackson Ingalls ; 
county superintendent of schools, John 
S. Dixon ; county surveyor, Wm. Mil- 
ler; judge of probate, Philo Beers; 
coroners, Lemuel W. Skinner and Sol- 
omon G. Isaman. 

The counties of Kalkaska and Missau- 
kee were organized in 1871, by virtue of 
acts passed by the legislature of that 
year. In each the special election for 
the first set of county officers was held, 
as was usually the case at the organiza- 
tion of a new county, at the time of the 
annual township meetings, on the first 
Monday in April. 

Kalka^a, with the tmorganized «onn- 
ty of Crawford, which was attached to it 
for municipal and judicial purposes, was 
divided into three townships — Rapid 
River, Round Lake, and Kaska. At the 
first election sixteen votes were noUed 
in Rapid River, sixty-five in Round 
Lake, and twenty one in Kaska, making 
a total of one hundred and two in the 
county. Wm. Sheldon was elected sher- 
iff" ; O. S. Curtis, county clerk and reg- 
ister of deeds ; C. Beebe, county treasu- 
rer : H. U. HUl, judge of probate ; E. 
S. Pratt, prosecuting attorney and cir- 
cuit court commissioner ; Richard Tow- 
ers, surveyor ; Lorenzo Evans and Uri- 
ah Varguson, coroners. The county 
seat was to be located, in the year 1873, 
by three commissioners named in the 
act. The commissioners appointed the 
20th of June for considering the subject, 
and requested the board of supervisors 
to meet them at the village of Kalkaska 
on that day. The board met as request- 
ed, but the commissioners were prevent- 
ed by the ilkiess of one of their number 
from being present. The supervisors, 
however, adopted a resolution, in the 



AHISTOKY OF THE GKAND TRAVEKSE KEGIOM. 



65 



uame of the people, requesting that the 
county seat be located at the Tillage of 
Kalkaska, with which the commissiou- 
ers complied. 

Missaukee was organized with tive 
townships — Reeder, Riverside, Clam 
Union, Pioneer, .and Luilua, all of which 
except Reeder had been created by acts 
passed at the last session of the legisla- 
ture. Gillis McBain was elected sheriff; 
Eugene W. Watson, county clerk and 
register of deeds ; Ira Vau Meter, coun- 
ty treasurer; John Vogel, judge of pro- 
bate ; Wm. H. Cavauagh, prosecuting 
attorney and circuit court commissioner ; 
AbrAam Stout, county surveyor ; Mari- 
on D. Richardson, county superintend- 
ent of schools ; Ezra F. Norton and 
Washington Reeder, coroners. The lo- 
cation of the county seat was determined 
by a special election, held for that pur- 
pose on the first Monday in June, which 
resulted in the choice of Lake City. 

* How it was that Kcv. George N. Smlth.lo res- 
ident of Leelaoau county, was entitled to vote at 
this election and to liold a county office in Grand 
Traverse is not clear, as Leelanau was at this 
time, and until 1853, attached to Mackinac coun- 
ty. See Session Laws of 1*40 and 1853, also Table 
LXXXVI, on page 98 of the supplement to the 
auditor generars report for 1870. M. L. L. 

t It will be observed that no real estate appears 
on the roll of Peninsula, and no personal proper- 
ty on that of Manistee. M. L. L. 

X For further facts connected with the re-organ- 
ization of Emmet, see chapter XX. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

Orand Traverse Politically — Influence 
of the Orand Traverse Herald — 
Morgan Bates, its Founder — The 
Traverse Bay Eagle — T?ie Charle- 
voix Sentinel — Brief Mention of 
Other Newspapers. 

At the presidential election in 1856, 
the first that occurred after the organiz- 
ation of Grand Traverse, four hundred 
votes were polled in the county — one 
hnndrea and fifty-seven for Fremont, 
the republican candidate, and two hun- 
dred and forty-three for Buchanan, the 
democratic. The county at that time, it 
should be remembered, included within 
its limits, not only all of the Grand 
Traverse region except Emmet, but 
Manistee also. Four years later, in the 
same teriitory, except Manistee which 
had been detached, there were four hun- 
dred and seven votes for Lincoln and 
one hundred and ninety-eight for Doug- 
las, showing a radical change in the po- 
litical views of the voters. From that 
time on, not only Grand Traverse, but 
also the newer counties frcyu time to 
time organized out of its attached terri- 
tory — the whole Grand Traverse region 
except Emmet — have remained steadily 
republican. 

Perhaps among the agencies that 
brought about the change and contribu- 
ted to maintain the republican ascend- 



ency, none exerted a more potent influ- 
ence than the first newspaper, the Grand 
Traverse Herald, established by Mor- 
gan Bates, and conducted by him dur- 
ing the first nine years of its existence. 

Mr. Bates was born at Queensbury, 
Warren county, N. Y., near Glen's Falls, 
on the 12th day of July, 1806. At tfb 
early age he entered a printing office as 
an apprentice, at Handy Hill. At the 
age of twenty he established a newspa- 
per at Warren, Penn., called the Ga- 
zette. Here Horace Greeley worked for 
him as a journeyman printer, and a 
strong friendship grew up between them, 
which continued till the close of Mr. 
Greeley's life. Afterwards he worked 
for Greeley as foreman, in New York, as 
Greeley had worked for him at Warren. 
In Greeley's office he was associated 
with several other young men who after- 
wards made their mark in the newspaper 
world, among whom were Elbridge Ger- 
ry Paige, better known by his nom de 
plume of Dow Jr., and George Wilkins 
Kendall, the projector and first publish- 
er of the New Orleans Picayune. 

In 1833 Mr. Bates came to Detroit, 
and was employed as foreman in the 
office of the Advertiser. In 1839 he 
purchased the Advertiser, in company 
with George Dawson, since connected 
with the Albany Evening Journal. Mr. 
Dawson soon retired from the firm, and 
Mr. Bates becoming the sole owner, 
conducted the paper till 18-44, when, in 
consequence of the defeat of the whig 
party, whose policy he had ably advoca- 
ted, regarding the future prospects of 
his paper as not flattering, he prudently 
sold out. 

In 1849 he joined the army of gold 
seekers, and went to California, by way 
of Cape Horn. After two years, he re- 
turned by way of the Isthmus. In 1852 
he again sought the land of gold, going 
again by way of Cape Horn. He re- 
mained in California till 1856. During 
this period he was for more than a year 
sole owner and publisher of the Alta 
California, daily and weekly. The dai- 
ly was at that time the only one pub- 
lished west of the Rocky mountains. 

Returning to Michigan, he was em- 
ployed for some time in the auditor gen- 
eral's office, at Lansing, till he removed 
to Traverse City, in 1858. 

To most men Traverse City would 
have seemed the most unpromising place 
for establishing a newspaper, while in 
reality it was the most eligible in the 
state, a^act Mr. Bates's experience and 
knowledge of the business enabled him 
to see. 

The first number of the Hebai.d made 
its appearance on the 3d of November, 
1858. This was just before the break- 
ing out of the great civil war, when the 
question of the supremacy of the slave 



power was already convulsing the polit- 
ical fabric of the nation to its center. 
In his salutatory Mr. Bates defined his 
position and outlined the character and 
course of his paper in terms not to be 
misuuderstood. " In politics we admit 
uo such word as neutrality. We hate 
slavery in all its forms and conditions, 
and can hare no fellowship or comprom- 
ise with it. We entertain no respect for 
£^ny party or any religion which sanc- 
tions and supports it, we care not from 
what source they derive their authority ; 
and regard that politician, minister, or 
layman, who advocates its extension and 
perpetuity, as an enemy to the human 
race, and false to the God we worship. 
Entertaining these views on what we re- 
gard the great political issue of the day, 
we shall support, with zeal and firmness, 
to the best of our ability, the republican 
organization, so long as that party shaU 
be true to the principles that now gov- 
ern it." 

When the control of the general gov- 
ernment passed into the hands of the re- 
publicans, in 1861, Mr. Bates waa ap- 
pointed by President Lincoln to the reg- 
istership of the land office at Traverse 
City. He held the office till 1867, when 
his outspoken condemnation of the poli- 
cy of President Johnson's administration 
was followed by his removaL On the 
accession of Gen. Grant to the presiden- 
cy, he was re-appointed, and continued 
to hold the office till his death. He waa 
four times elected treasurer of Grand 
Traverse county, and would, no doubt, 
have been again the choice of the peo- 
ple, had he not declined the honor. In 
the fall of 1868, he was elected lieuten- 
ant governor, on the republican ticket. 
The office came to him unsolicited ; he 
was not the man to ask for it. His nom- 
ination and election were a spontaneous 
recognition of his worth as a man and a 
citizen, and of his services in the inter- 
ests of humanity and just government. 

Mr. Bates was twice married. His 
first wife died in 1855; the second pre- 
ceded him to the grave by a little more 
than a year. His own death occurred 
March 2, 1874, at the age of sixty-eight. 

Intimately associated with Mr. Bates 
in the work of aiding the anti-slavery 
movement, was his twin brother, Mer- 
ritt, without a brief notice of whose ca- 
reer our sketch would be incomplete. 

Rev. Merritt Bates the twin brother 
of Morgan Bates, was a prominent cler- 
gyman in the methodist church in east- 
ern New York and western Vermont and 
Massachusetts, and was an active mem- 
ber of, first, the New York and, later, the 
Troy conference, for 36 years. He was 
an outspoken anti-slavery man all his 
life, and for many years at Albany and 
Troy, N. Y., Burlington, Vt., Lowell. 
Mass., and other points, bis house was 



56 



A HISTORY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



a headquarters for the great anti-slavery 
leaders during the exciting times of a 
quarter of a century preceding the war 
of the rebellion. His own life was in 
jeopardy many times from the infuria- 
ted mob. In Lowell, Mass., the church 
doors were closed on him and he preach- 
ed from the steps, and from thence was 
driven into the streets and imprison- 
ment and personal violence threatened 
if he did not desist from his treasonable 
anti-slavery preaching. He was mobbed 
in the streets of Troy, N. Y., in 1844, 
and threatened expulsion by the Troy 
conference because he would not with- 
draw his subscription from an anti- 
slavery paper. But still he preached 
and taught anti-slavery doctrines, aided 
the fugitive slave on his way to freedom, 
openly defied the fugitive slave law and 
refused compliance to its mandates, and 
was recognized as one of the ablest and 
most daring advocates of free speech in 
that section of the country. He lived to 
see slavery abolished and, upon the oc- 
casion of his retirement from the minis- 
try the bishop in attendance and the 
leading members of the conference, who 
had for years and years opposed him in 
his views on this question, took him by 
the hand and asked forgiveness, saying, 
" You were right, and we were wrong. 
Yon have fought a hard fight but have 
won a glorious victory for the right." 
Mr. Bates removed to Traverse City in 
May, 1863, to spend the remaining years 
of his life near his twin brother, between 
whom and himself there existed an unu- 
sually strong attachment. • He bought a 
farm near Traverse City, and the next 
few years were spent in the improve- 
ment of his place, and during this time 
he took an active interest in the devel- 
opment of the entire region. His death 
occurred in August, 1869. His wife, 
the faithful companion and sharer of all 
his toils and triumphs for 35 years, fol- 
lowed him to the grave a year later. 

At the close of the ninth volume of 
the Herald, in December, 1867, Mr. 
Bates sold it to D. C. Leach. Mr. 
Leach conducted it till May, 1876, when 
it passed into the hands of the present 
management, Thomas T. Bates editor 
and manager. 

Besides exerting a powerful influence 
on the politics of the region in which it 
has circulated, the Herald has been an 
efficient agent in the development of the 
material interests of the country, mak- 
ing known abroad its resources, advan- 
tages, and attractions, and drawing to it 
the immigration that otherwise would 
have passed on to more remote regions. 

The Herald was the first newspaper 
published in northwestern Michigan. 
At its first appearance it was a modest 
four-column folio. It was enlarged at 



different times, as its patronage in- 
creased, till its present size and form 
were reached — an eight-column quarto, 
and it is to-day the largest paper in the 
state. 

The Traverse Bay Eagle was the sec- 
ond newspaper published on the lower 
peninsula north of Big Rapids and Man- 
istee. It was started at Elk Rapids, An- 
trim county, the last of March, 1864, 
by E. L. Sprague, the present editor 
and proprietor, under the name of the 
Elk Rapids Eagle. It first appeared as 
a very small folio sheet, the size being 
only fifteen by nineteen inches. At the 
end of the first year James Spencer be- 
came part owner and jiublisher, and the 
paper was enlarged to twenty by twen- 
ty-six inches. Januaiy Ist, 1866, the 
name was changed to Traverse Bay 
Eagle, and the paper was enlarged to 
twenty-two by thirty- two inches. In 
the spring of 1866, a power press was 
purchased, the first in the Grand Trav- 
erse region. In the fall of the same 
year, the paper was moved to Traverse 
City, and Lyman G. Wilcox was admit- 
ted'as a partner, the firm being Sprague, 
Spencer & Wilcox. The paper was at 
this time enlarged to an eight column 
folio. One year later, Mr. Wilcox re- 
tired, Sprague and Spencer purchasing 
his interest. At the same time, a steam 
engine and boiler were purchased, to 
drive the press. Previous to this, how*- 
ever, at the time Mr. Wilcox became a 
partner, a job press was addad to the 
ofiice, the first ever brought into this 
region. In 1872 Mr. Spencer's health 
failed, and the management of the office 
devolved entirely upon Mr. Sprague. 
The first of January, 1880, the paper 
was again enlarged to its present size, a 
nine column folio; In July, 1882, Mr. 
Spencer sold his interest to Mr. Sprague, 
the original owner and publisher. Mr. 
Sprague has been connected with the 
paper since its establishment, and is 
now the oldest editor who has been con- 
tinually in the business in this part of 
the state. In politics the Eagle was re- 
publican up to the time of the presiden- 
tial campaign in which .Greeley was a 
candidate, since which it has been inde- 
pendent or democratic. 

The third newspaper in the Grand 
Traverse region was the Charlevoix 
Sentinel, established at Charlevoix in 
1869. It was published by W. A. 
Smith, for the proprietor, D. C. Leach. 
E.' H. Green was the first e(ytor. Mr. 
Smith purchased the paper in 1871, and 
remained the sole publisher and editor 
tiU August, 1883, when a half interest 
was sold to E.. F. Parmelee, who be- 
came equal partner and associate editor. 
At first a five column folio, the Senti- 
nel was enlarged to a six column folio in 



1871, to a five column quarto in 1875, 
to a sis column quarto in 1878, and to a 
seven column quarto in 1883. Duriug 
the early period of its existence, it was 
for some time the official paper of six 
counties, including two in the upper 
peninsula. In politics it has alwa,>s 
been staunch republican. Not a little 
of the credit for the prosperity of Char- 
levoix county and the northern part of 
the lower peninsula, is due the Sentinel 
for making known the resources and at- 
tractions of the country. 

Since the appearance of the Sentinel 
the establishment of newspapers in the 
Grand Traverse region has fully kept 
up with the development of the country, 
if, indeed, it has not got in advance of 
it. A few liave failed. Of those that 
remained, only a minority may be pre- 
sumed to be receiving a liberal support. 
The fact that so many are able to main- 
tain an existence at all, speaks well fof 
the intelligence of the communities in 
which they are published, and for the 
hopeful enterprise of their publishers. 
A brief mention of each may not be out 
of place at this stage of our history. 

The Weekly Exjivess, Frankfort, 
Benzie county, was established in June, 
1870, by W. F. Cornell. The foUowing 
persons have been owners, whoUy, or in 
part, at various times since its estab- 
lishment : W. F. Cornell, O. V. Hos 
mer, W. F. Francis, A. Brewer, J. A. 
Brewer, S. A. Brewer, and A. B. Car- 
rier. It waa at first a seven column fo- 
lio, and was enlarged to an eight column 
folio in 1874. Politics republican. The 
paper was burned out in 1881, and its 
publication resumed in January, 1882. 

The Benzie County Journal, Benzou- 
ia, Benzie county, was established by a 
joint stock company, in 1872. The 
Journal has not been published since 
March, 1883. The editors were, in or- 
der of time, B. H. Brainard, James A. 
Pettitt, Bailey & Betts, and John B. . 
Betts. Size, a six column folio. Poli- 
tics, republican. 

The Elk Rapids Progress, Elk Rap- 
ids, Antrim county, wns established in 
1872, by E. L. Sprague. Mr. Sprague 
sold it to H. E. Gemberling, aud Mr. 
Gemberling to B. F. Davis. The edit- 
ors have been F. R. Williams, James 
Parkinson, E. L. Sprague, Giles 
Danbeuy, H. E. Gemberling, and B. F. 
Davis. The Progress was first pub- 
lished as a six column folio, was changed 
to a five column quarto, and then back 
again to its original form and size. It 
is independent in politics. 

The Cadillac News, Cadillac, Wexford 
county, was established by (5. L. Fra- 
zier, in 1872. It became successively 
the property of J. A. & O. Whitmore, 
Rice & Chapin, Chapin & Terwilliger, 



A HISTOKY OF THE GKAND TKAVEKSE KEQION. 



57 



C. T. Obapin, and J. W. Giddings. C. 
T. Chapin was editor from 1877 to 1882, 
since which time it has been under the 
editorial control of J. W. Giddings. It 
was started as a five column folio, en- 
larged to a six column quarto in 1877, 
and to a seven column quarto in 1883. 
Politics, republican. 

The Wexford County Pioneer, Sher- 
man, Wexford county, was established 
by Cooper k Fuller, in 1872. It subse- 
quently passed into the hands of Charles 
E. Cooper, who sold it, in 1877, to 
Charles S. Marr. In 1878 it became the 
property of Campbell & Wheeler, and 
afterwards of J. H. Wheeler. From its 
original d'.mensions of a five column fol- 
io, it has been enlarged to a five column 
quarto. Politics, republican. 

lu 1873, S. W. Davis started a paper 
in Missaukee county, called the Missau- 
kee County Reporter, which he pub- 
lished for two years, doing the priuiing 
on a wooden press of h's own construc- 
tion. In dize it was first a six column 
and afierwards an eight column folio. 

The Leelanau Tribune was started by 
A H. Johnson, at Northport, in June, 
1873. In the winter of 1877 and '78 
Mr. Johnson removed it to Snttons Bay. 
In 1880 it was sold to the Tribune Pub- 
lisbing Company, who changed its name 
to the Tribune, and removed it to Trav- 
erse City, where, after a short time, its 
publication was discontinued. Mr. 
Johnson was the editor during the 
whole period of its existence. Size at 
first a seven column foUo, which was 
changed to a five column quarto in the 
fall of 1880. Politics, republican while 
owned by Mr. Johnson ; democratic af- 
ter sold to the company. 

The Kaikashaian. Ealkaska, Kalkas- 
ka county, was established by C. P. 
Sweet, about the first of March, 187^. 
It was the first newspaper on the line of 
the Grand Bapids and Indiana railroad 
north of Cadillac. Commenced as a sev- 
en column folio, it was enlarged to an 
eight column folio in 1878. Mr. Sweet 
has been sole owner, publisher, and ed- 
itor. Politics, republican. 

The Emmet County Democrat, Petos- 
key, Emmet county, was estabUshed 
April 30, 1875, by Kozelle Kose, who 
has been its only publisher and editor. 
The size at first was twenty-one by thir- 
ty-one inches, increased to twenty-four 
by thirty-six inches in September, 1875, 
and again to twenty-six by forty inches 
in April, 1882. Politics, democratic. 

The Republican, Harbor Springs, 
Emmet county, was established by War- 
ren Bowen, in 1876. After conducting 
the paper about three mouths, Mr. Bow- 
en sold it to L. A. Clark, who has since 
been sole proprietor and editor. The 
size at first was a six column folio. In 
September, 1878, it .wasj enlarged to a 



seven column folio, and again to a six 
column quarto at the close of 1879. In 
politics it is republican. 

The Journal, Lake City, Missaukee 
county, was established by L. A. Bar- 
ker, familiarly known m newspaper cir- 
cles as "Ren" Barker, April 27, 1877, 
who was publisher and editor up to 
April 22, 1884, when it was sold to H. 
N. Mclntire, and consolidated with the 
Lake City Leader, a paper which Mr. 
Mclntire had established in 1883. In 
May, 1884, the name of the consolidated 
papers was chauged to Kew Era. The 
Journal, started as a seven column fol- 
io, had previously been enlarged to 
eight columns. In November, 1882, the 
office was burned, but the Journal con- 
tinued its weakly appearance without 
missing a number. 

The Leelanau Enterprise, Leland, 
Leelanau county, was started at North- 
port, in 1877, by B. H. Derby, and af- 
terwards removed to Leland. In 1879 
Mr. Derby sold it to W. C. Nelson. 
Mr. Nelson sold a half interest to George 
A. Cutler, but re-purchased it at the end 
of a year. The editors have been B. H. 
Derby, W. 0. Nelson, George A. Cutler, 
and, lastly, Mr. Nelson again. It was 
at 6»st a five column folio, but was en- 
larged in 1877. Politics, republican. 

The Petoskey Record, Petoskey, Em- 
met county, was established by George 
Mosher and James Buckley, June 20, 
1S78. It wa.'? afterward successively the 
property of Mosher & Gibson, Mosher 
k Pray, Mosher & McManus, George 
Mosher, Mosher & Freeman, and finally, 
April 1, 1883, passed into the hands of 
J. C. Bontecou. The editors have been 
George H. Mosher, F. S. Freeman, and 
J. C. Bontecou. Frdm a seven columa 
fo'io it has been enlarged to a six col- 
umn quarto, and lastly, June 1, 1883, to 
a seven column quarto. Politics, re- 
publican. 

The Northern Independent, Harbor 
Spr'ugs, Emmet county, formerly the 
Emmet County Independent, was estab- 
lished by Charles S. Hampton, in 1878. 
For the first three years Benton Bement 
had an interest in it, but Mr. Hampton 
has always conducted the editorial de- 
partment. At the beginning of the 
fifth volume, when the name was 
changed, it was enlarged from a seven 
to an eight column folio. The Inde- 
pendent is national in politics, advocat- 
ing what is popularly known as the 
greenback policy. During the summer 
of 188:3, the Daily Resor.'cr, a six col- 
umn folio daily, was published by Mr. 
Hampton in connection with the Inde- 
pendent. The printing of the Inde- 
pendent has always been done at home. 

The Kalkaska Leader, Kalkaska, Kal- 
kaska county, was established by E. B. 



Dennis and J. W. Tinklepaugh, in May, 

1878. Mr. Dennis was editor tUl June, 
1882 ; since that time it has been under 
the editorial management of Mr. Tinkle- 
paugh, Size, seven column foUo, en- 
larged in March, 1882, to a six column 
quarto. Politics, republican. 

The Mancelona Herald, Mancelona, 
Antrim county, was established by Ed- 
wards & Slussar, in 1879. On the first 
of April, 1882, C. S. Edwards retired 
from the business, and L. E. Slussar 
became proprietor and editor. The size 
at first was that of a seven column folio, 
which was enlarged to an eight column 
folio in 1881, and in 1883 to a six col- 
umn quarto. Politically the Herald 
is republican. 

The Manton Tribune, Manton, Wex- 
ford county, established in October, 

1879, remained only a short time under 
the control of its founder, Marshall Mc- 
Lux-e, when it passed into the hands of 
A. J. Teed, and soon afterwards became 
the property of C. E. Cooper. In Sep- 
sember, 1883, it passed into the hands 
of H. F. Campbell. The publishers 
have been the editors. At first a five 
column folio,' it was enlarged to six col- 
umns at the time Mr, Cooper took con- 
trol. 

The Statesman, formerly the Stan- 
dard, Boyne City, Charlevoix county, 
was established by Wm. Mears. The 
first number made its appearance March 
11, 1881. The name was changed at the 
beginning of the third volume. It was 
purchased by the present publisher, P. 
A. Badour, at the beginning of Februa- 
ry, 1883. The editors have been Rev. 
\ T. J. Hill and P. A. Badour. The size 
and form have been successively a six 
column folio, and a five column quarto. 

The Bellaire Breeze, Bellaire, Antrim 
county, was established September 29, 
1881, by Albert S. Abbott, by whom it 
has ever since been owned, edited, and 
published. It was commenced as a five 
column folio, and was enlarged to a five 
column quarto February 9, 1882. Poli- 
tics, repub'ican. 

The CadUlao Weekly Timen, Cadillac, 
Wexford county, was first started, un- 
der another name, at Mendon, St. Jo- 
seph county, in June, 1882, and was af- 
terwards removed to Cadillac. The 
founder, Alf. Rindge, has been the only 
publisher and editor. It was com- 
menced as a seven column folio, and was 
enlarged to a seveii column quarto in 
August, 1882. Independent in politics. 

The Enterprise, East Jordan, Charle- 
voix county, was established by E. N. 
CUnk, in April, 1882, who sold a half in- 
terest in it to W. F. Palmiter, a year 
later. In November, 1883, the office 
was totally destroyed by fire, and the 
paper was suspended till February, 

15 



58 



A HISTOEY OF THE GRAND TRAVERSE REGION. 



1884, when its publication was resumed 
by Palmiter <fe Nelson. Size at first a 
six column folio, enlarged to a five col- 
umn quarto in June, 1883, and soon af- 
terwards to a six column quarto. 

The Elmira Gazette, Elmira, Otsego 
county, a six column folio, was estab- 
lished by C. S. Edwards, in October, 
1882. A year from that date, it was pur 
chased by M. W. Newkirk, the present 
owner. The proprietors have been the 
editors. Politics, republican. 

The Fife Lake Eye was established at 
Fife Lake, Grand Traverse county, in 
September, 1881, and discontinued pub- 
lication a year later. 

The Fife Lake Comet, E. B.fDennis, 
publisher, Fife Lake, Grand Traverse 
county, a five column quarto, was ee tab 
lished in November, 1882. E. D. Fuller 
was the editor till March 1, 1884. Poli- j 
tics, republican. ■ 

The Charlevoix Journal, Charlevoix, 
Charlevoix county, was established by 
Charles J. Strang. July 19, 1883. There 
have been no changes of publisher or | 
editor. The Journal is a five column j 
quarto. Politics, democratic. ' 

The Antrim County Record,' Alba, j 
Antrim county, was established by Jus- 
tus L. Hissong, who is both publisher 
and editor, Nov. 7, 1883. Size, a five 
column quarto. The Reeord is non- 
political in character. 

The Northwest Farmer, Traverse 
City, a sixteen page monthly, devoted 
to farming and rural affairs, made its 
first appearance in May, 1882. Publish- 
er, D. C. Leach ; editors, D. C. Leach 
and M. L. Leach. 

The Benzonia Citizen was established 
at Benzonia, Benzie county, about May 
1, 1870. It was a two column quarto 
and was discontinued in the summer of 
1871. A. Barnard was publisher until 
March, 1871, then a Mi'. Kingsley until 
the publication was dropped. Jas. B. 
Walker, editor. In politics it was anti- 
masonic. 

CoKRECTiON— Ic Chapter XXVII, in epeaking of 
the enlietments in Grand Traveree in 1864 the 
name of Marcus Lacore should have been Man-in 
Lacore. It is there stated that ^Ir. Lacore joined 
the 10th Michigan cavalry. This was a mistalce. 
Mr. Lacore tells us he was assigned to the Mis- 
siesippi squadron. Adolphus Payette was also 
in the Mississippi squadron. The amount re- 
ceived in bounty by Mr. Lacore and others who 
enlisted at that time was but $300. Those who 
entered the service a little later received more. 



CHAP PER XXXL } 

Conclusion — Topography — The High 

■ Central Plateau — The Orand Trav- , 

erse Region on the Northwestern . 

Slope — Surface of the Country — ; 

Population — Villages — Tr averse 

City Industries — Summei Visit- , 

ors. 
In bringing to a close this imperfect 
history of the Grand Traverse region, 



perhaps we cannot make plainer the 
changes that have been wrought since 
the whit« man first settled within its 
borders, or present anything of greater 
interest to the reader, than by giving a 
brief chapter descriptive of the country 
as it is, not forgetting its natural fea- 
tures — its topography, surface configu- 
ration, soils, lakes, streams, and climate. 

In order to make clear what we pro- 
pose to present, it is necessary to extend 
the description of the make of the conn- 
try beyond the boundaries of the region 
we are considering. 

The high central plateau of the north- 
ern part of the lower peninsula of Mich- 
igan is often referred to by writers who 
have occasion to speak of the topograph- 
ical features of the country. To get a 
clear understanding of what is meant by 
the high central plateau, it is neceesaiy 
to glance briefly at the general suriace 
configuration of the lo iver peninsula. 

The peninsula presents two grand 
swells, or regions of elevation, separated 
by a broad valley, each having its long 
axis' running in a northeasterly and 
southwesterly direction. The long axis 
of the more southerly of these swells 
may be indicated somewhat accurately 
by a line drawn from Port Austin, near 
the mouth of Saginaw bay, to the south- 
west corner of Hillsdale county. In the 
northern part of Oakland county, this 
swell attains an elevation of 529 feet, 
but the highest summit is in Hillsdale 
county, where it reaches an elevation of 
613 feet above Lakes Huron and Michi- 
gan. 

The valley separating this region of 
elevation from the more northerly one, 
may be traced by following up the Sag- 
maw and Bad aivers, and then down the 
Maple and the Grand. The highest 
part of this valley is a flat, swampy 
tract, in the southeast corner of Gratiot 
county, where the head waters of Bad 
river start within three miles of the Ma- 
ple, and is not more than 72 feet higher 
than Saginaw bay. 

The long axis of the more northerly 
swell may be indicated approximately 
by a line drawn through Gaylord, near 
the center of Otsego county, and Bond's 
Mill, in the eastern part of Wexford 
county. The broad, undulating summit 
of this swell is the plateau alluded to. 
In some places it presents the appear- 
ance of an extensive plain ; in otliers it 
is a confused assemblage of hills and 
valleys. The hills are generally broad, 
smooth, and rounded, but tjiere are ex- 
ceptional cases in which their sides are 
too steep for tillage. The elevation of 
several points on this plateau has been 
ascertained with accuracy in the surveys 
of the Jackson, Lansing and Saginaw 
and the Grand Rapids and Indiana rail- 



roads. Gaylord is 778 feet above Sagi- 
naw bay. A mile and a half north of 
Bond's Mill, the road-bed of the Grand 
Rapids and Indiana is 832 feet above 
Lake Michigan, but the summits of the 
ridge on each side of it are nearly or 
quite a hundred feet higher, being fully 
900 feet above Lake Michigan. It has 
been supposed that some of the hills of 
the plateau reached a height of 1,100 
feet or more, but as yet the Wexford 
summit is the highest the elevation of 
which has been determined by actual 
measurement, and it is probably the 
highest land in the lower peninsula.* 

The ascent to the plateau ia gradual, 
but more or less irregular. Its borders 
are scarred by the streams that have 
their sources in its higher parts. Some- 
times the rivers are found flowing 
through deep and narrow ravines ; some- 
times the ravines have b een widened in- 
to broad valleys, as in the case of tbe 
Muskegon and the Manistee, t The 
northwestern slope is more abrupt in its 
northern than in its southern portion, 
and is generally more abrupt than the 
southeastern slope. In some places it 
shows an ascending series of terraces, 
well defined and regular ; at other points 
the regularity entirely disappears. The 
thriving village of Maucelona is situated 
on one of these terraces, which is there 
several miles wide. 

The country known as the Grand 
Traverse region occupies, with a portion 
of the summit of the plateau, the north- 
western slope, between the summit and 
Lake Michigan. As a whole is is com- 
paratively elevated, its surface being 
greatly diversified with hills and valleys, 
table lauds, lakes and streams. The 
hills are heavily timbered. The streams 
are usually clear, cold, and rapid. The 
swamps do not give rise to malaria. 
The air is pure and bracing. The cli- 
mate, modified by the influence of Lake 
Michigan, is more equable than that of 
the southern part of the state. The soil 
is variable, but in general terms may be 
described as a sandy or gravelly loam, 
containing a large percentage of calcare- 
ous matter. Not unfrequently the best 
soil for general farming is found on the 
tops of the highest hills. 

By the census of 1880 the population 
of the nine counties of Emmet, Charle- 
voix, Antrim, Kalkaska, Missaukee, 
Wexford, Grand Traverse, Benzie, and 
Leelanaw was shown to be 46,384. 
Judging from the past rate of increase 
and from observation extending through 
a series of years, it is believed that the 
population at the present time (May, 
1884,) does not fall short of 70,000. The 
valleys, plains, and hiU-tops are every- 
where dotted with the clearings of set- 
tlers. The busy hum of industry is 



A HISTOKY OF JHE GKAND TKAVKRSE REGION. 



59 



heard where, in >ecurity, the wild beust 
but yesterday made his lair. The mer- 
ry school bell calls the children together 
from humble cabins hidden in the for- 
est. The resounding echoes of the 
steam whistle proclaim that the inland 
waters have been converted into high- 
ways of commerce. 

The Grand Rapids and Indiana rail- 
road crosses the southwestern prolonga- 
tion of the plateau in Osceola and Wex- 
ford counties, acd then, rising over the 
gently swelling hills and descending in 
to the river valleys, runs along its north- 
western slope, through the whole length 
of the region we are considering, to the 
straits of Mackinac. Thriving villages 
have grown up all along its course, cen 
ters of local trade, where the settler can 
sell the surplus products of his farm and 
purchase his supplies on terms scarcely 
less advantageous than those offered in 
older communities. 

Arriving at Cadillac, in a northward 
journey on this road, one may consider 
himself as fairly within the borders of 
the Grand Traverse country. Cadillac 
has alreftdy been incorporated as a city. 
Farther north he will pass Manton, Wal- 
ton, Fife Lake, South Boardman, Kal- 
kaska, Mancelona, Alba, Elmira, Boyne 
Falls, and Petoskey, with other stations 
of less note, most of them possessing 
real advantages and enjoying solid pros- 
perity, and all of them indulging in 
great expectations. From Walton a 
branch railroad leads to Traverse City, 
and from Petoskey another curves round 
the head of Little Traverse bay to Har- 
bor Springs. The last three villages 
named enjoy the double advantage of 
both railroad and water communication 
with other localities. If, in the season 
of navigation, the traveler prefers a jour- 
ney by water along tbe shore, following 
the sinuosities of the coast, he will find 
evidences of enterprise and thrift at the 
numerous lakeport villages — Frankfort, 
Glen Arbor, Leland, Northport, Trav- 
erse City, Old Mission, Elk Rapids, 
Torch Lake, Norwood, Charlevoix, Pe- 
toskey, and Harbor Springs. At Elk 
Rapids he can take passage on the line 
of small steamers plying on the chain of 
beautiful inland lakes in Antrim county, 
visiting several points of interest and 
penetrating the interior to the vicinity 
of Bellaire. At Charlevoix some of the 
large lake steamers pass through the 
harbor into Pine lake, on which are sit- 
uated the thriving villages of Iroaton, 
South Arm, East Jordan, Boy no City, 
and Bay Springs. If he chooses to leave 
both tbe railroad and the navigable wa- 
ters and plunge into tbe interior, though 
he can not get far away from one or the 
other, he will still find prosperous vil- 
lages at central points, as, for example, 



Lake City, Sherman, Wexford, Will- 
I iamsburg, and Benzonia. 
! To give in detail a description of the 
[ business of the several villages, is the 
\ proper work of the gazetteer rather than 
j of the historian, but for the purpose of 
; showing the progress of improvement it 
may be allowable to mention concisely a 
I few facts, taking one village as a repre- 
sentative of several. 

Traverse City, the initial growth of 
, which has been described in the earlier 
] chapters of this history, is now a village 
with 3,000 or 3,500 inhabitants. It has 
six churches, well attended. Its graded 
school will compare favorably with any 
in the state. It has three printing offi- 
ces, two weekly newspapers, and a 
monthly agricultural magazine. It has 
probably one hundred and fifty places 
of business, counting the offices ot pro- 
fessional nusn. Not less than a million 
and a half dollars worth of merchandise 
is sold in its stores and shops annually. 
Hannah, Lay & Co.. its founders, be 
sides conducting one of the largest mer- 
cantile establishments in the state, man- 
ufacture annually 20,000,000 feet of 
lumber, the greater part of which is 
dressed before shipment. There is dai- 
ly communication by railroad with all 
points north and south. During the 
season of navigation, there is direct 
communication weekly by steamer with 
Chicago and Milwaukee, and daily with 
all the principal ports in northwestern 
Michigan. 

The industries of the Grand Traverse 
region are more varied -than those of 
new countries in general. Farming, in 
some of its branches, will, in the course 
of time, become the principal employ- 
ment of the people. At present, while 
new farms are everywhere being cleared 
of the primitive forest and brought into 
a condition for cultivation, the pine and 
hardwood timber is being put to profita- 
ble use. Besides being manufactured 
into lumber, large quantities of hard- 
wood ore converted into charcoal for use 
in the smelting of iron. It having been 
found more economical to bring the ore 
to the charcoal than to carry the char- 
coal to the ore, smelting furnaces have 
been established at several points — 
Franktort, Leland, Elk Rapid.i, Ironton, 
and Mancelona. Iiarge quantities of 
cordwood, posts, railroad ties, and hem- 
lock bark are shipped to various ports 
on the lakes, and ship timber is sent to 
Montreal and Europe. 

Another fact in regard to tbe Grand 
Traverse country remains to be noticed, 
the importanee of which is only just be- 
ginning to be understood. Its pure wa- 
ter, healthful atmosphere, and, more 
than all, its beautiful scenery, are at- 
tracting largo numbers of summer visit- 



ors — pleasure seekers, invalids, wearied 
workers with hand and brain — who find 
here relief from the ennui, the ills, and 
the grinding toil of daily life. The re- 
gion is lauidly becoming one grand 
summer resort. 

» The summit a short distance eoatheaet of 
Mancelona probably bae about the eame eleva- 
tion. M. L. L. 

t The ruad-bed of the Grand Rapids and Indiana 
railroad at the croseing of the Manlatee, in the 
northeast corner of \\'ex)ord county, ie S.'iO feet 
above Lake Michigan. M. L. L. 

[the end. ] 

In the preparation of the History of 
the Grand Traverse Region, I am in- 
debted to Parkman's valuable works for 
much of the information relative to the 
exploration and occupation of the coun- 
try by the Jesuits, and the early wars 
iilfectiug both Indians and white men. 
I have drawn to some extent on the ear- 
lier numbers of the Grand Traverse 
Hebald and the Charlevoix Sentinel. 
Most of the facts, however, I have ob- 
tained from individuals who were per- 
sonally cognizant of the events and fa- 
miliar with the scenes described. For 
the descriptive parts I have consulted 
Prof. A. Winchell, profitably. I am 
under special obligation for valuable as- 
sistance to the persons named in the fol- 
lowing list : 

Rev. Peter Dougherty, Mrs. O. M. 

Salisbury, Lewis Miller, E. P. Ladd, J. 

M. Pratt, S. E. Wait, G. A. Craker, 

Mrs. George N. Smith, Andrew Porter, 

Wm. Gill, Mrs. Wm. Thomas, Fred. F. 

Cook, Mr. and Mrs. John Lerue, Mr. 

ond Mrs. T. A. Hitchcock, Mr. and Mrs. 

H. D. Campbell, Mr. and Mrs. J. K. 

Gunton, Perry Hannah, A. T. Lay, R. 

McLellan, J. B. Spencer, Mr. and Mrs. 

Jacob Barns, Mrs. D. C. Goodale, Rev. 

S. Steele, Rev. I. J. McLaughlin, Rev. 

D. R. Latham, Rev. J. W. Miller, E. S. 

Noble, Mr. and Mrs. 3. S. Dixon, Louis 

Goboo, Ca, t. McCausland, Mrs. Ruth 

Bedford, Orson Campbell, Mrs. Polly 

Preeper, Richard Cooper, H. O. Rose, 

Wiugfield Watson, Mr. and Mrs. John 

Rliller, D. H. Pierce, Rev. Charles E. 

Bailey, W. S. Hubbell, Charles Downs, 

Wm. Masters, Mr. and Mrs. Michael 

Gay, A. J. Blackbird, Robert Dailey, 

Mrs. M. A. Wadsworth, Rev. Leroy 

Warren, David J. Parish, Jr., Mr. and 

Mrs. W. B. Stiger, Rev. H. C. Scofield. 

Mrs. Nelson Ainslie, M. M. Stinson, 

chief engineer G. R. and L railroad. 

M. L. LEACU. 
Traverse Olty. Uar. 1884. 






L£Ja'13 



